Arkeonews
  • News
  • Anatolian Archeology
  • Classical Archeology
  • Egypt
  • Mesopotamia
  • Culture
  • Interesting
  • Mythology
  • Travel
No Result
View All Result
Arkeonews
No Result
View All Result
Home News

Archaeologists have found seven pairs of Anglo-Saxon brooches in seven graves during an excavation in Gloucestershire

by Leman Altuntaş
5 April 2022
in News
0
Anglo-Saxon disc broaches

Archaeologists have found seven pairs of Anglo-Saxon saucer brooches, one pair in each of seven burials unearthed in an excavation in South West of England Gloucestershire.

You might also like

Delikkemer Aqueduct: A Roman Engineering Wonder Along the Lycian Way

Archaeologists in the Tangier Peninsula Discovered Three Ancient Cemeteries, Including a Stone Burial Dating to Around 4,000 Years Ago

2000-Year-Old Roman Origins Confirmed for Elche’s Monumental L’Assut de l’Argamassa Dam

The wonderful discovery was announced on Twitter by Cotswold Archeology. At the site, the Cotswolds Archaeology team unearthed more than 70 Anglo-Saxon burials, some of which had luxurious grave goods. They are from the 5th or 6th centuries.

Seven pairs of gold-gilt plate (or saucer) brooches were found, in seven separate graves. Plate brooches such as these were decorative items, worn in pairs at the chest and used to fasten clothing.

(2/3) Seven pairs of gold-gilt plate (or saucer) brooches were found, in seven separate graves. Plate brooches such as these were decorative items, worn in pairs at the chest and used to fasten clothing… #AngloSaxon #Archaeology #Gloucestershire pic.twitter.com/FOxiJjXCYQ

— Cotswold Archaeology (@CotswoldArch) April 4, 2022

They’re known as saucer brooches after their shape: a circular central body with a raised rim. They are made of gilded copper alloy and were relief-cast (cast from a single piece of sheet metal) with decorative motifs in geometric patterns. The designs on cast saucer brooches are based on geometric motifs. The commonest design is the running spiral, so-called because each of the spirals is linked to the next and they run around the brooch, normally with a pellet in the center. The commonest number of spirals is five or six, but there are occasionally more.

Cast saucer brooches are similar to button brooches, with the upturned rim that gives them their name. They were worn in pairs, so in graves, it is normal to find two very similar, but not mould-identical, brooches together.

Anglo-Saxon brooches
Anglo-Saxon saucer brooches. Photo: Cotswold Archeology Facebook

The saucer brooches are still a high-status signifier for burials from this early period of Anglo-Saxon history in England, often found in tandem with other expensive pieces of jewelry.

Ranging in size from 20-70 mm in diameter, saucer brooches were worn in pairs across the chest to fasten garments. Their designs are more simple than, for example, the long square-headed brooches which were so large they offered much more space to create complex, highly sophisticated designs.

“Those we uncovered were either positioned one on each shoulder or two next to each other on the left shoulder with an associated clothing pin, giving a vivid impression of how they once looked on their wearers,” they wrote on their Cotswold Archeology Facebook page.

Tags: Anglo-SaxonAnglo-Saxon broochesAnglo-Saxon burialsAnglo-Saxon history in EnglandAnglo-Saxon saucer broochesCotswold ArcheologyFeaturedGloucestershire

Recommended For You

Delikkemer Aqueduct: A Roman Engineering Wonder Along the Lycian Way
Anatolian Archeology

Delikkemer Aqueduct: A Roman Engineering Wonder Along the Lycian Way

17 May 2025
One of the standing stones the team found, which might have been used to mark territory. Credit: Hamza Benattia
News

Archaeologists in the Tangier Peninsula Discovered Three Ancient Cemeteries, Including a Stone Burial Dating to Around 4,000 Years Ago

17 May 2025
2000-Year-Old Roman Origins Confirmed for Elche’s Monumental L’Assut de l’Argamassa Dam
News

2000-Year-Old Roman Origins Confirmed for Elche’s Monumental L’Assut de l’Argamassa Dam

17 May 2025
The Great Baddow Hoard. Image credit: Fountains Media/Museum of Chelmsford
News

Britain’s Largest Iron Age Gold Coin Hoard: A Possible Tribute to Julius Caesar?

16 May 2025
The 6th-Century “Türk-Kagan” Coin Discovery in Uzbekistan Could Rewrite History as the Oldest Known Record of the Name “Türk”
News

The 6th-Century “Türk-Kagan” Coin Discovery in Uzbekistan Could Rewrite History as the Oldest Known Record of the Name “Türk”

15 May 2025
Archaeologists Unearth Monumental Relief Depicting Assyrian King and Major Deities in Ancient Nineveh
Mesopotamia

Archaeologists Unearth Monumental Relief Depicting Assyrian King and Major Deities in Ancient Nineveh

15 May 2025
Next Post
Artvin Province

Georgian churches of Artvin, Turkey's natural wonder city

  • Contact Us
  • Privacy
  • About
  • Cookie Policies

©Copyright 2020 - 2025 Arkeonews | All rights reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • News
  • Anatolian Archeology
  • Classical Archeology
  • Egypt
  • Mesopotamia
  • Culture
  • Interesting
  • Mythology
  • Travel

©Copyright 2020 - 2025 Arkeonews | All rights reserved.

Are you sure want to unlock this post?
Unlock left : 0
Are you sure want to cancel subscription?
We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.OkPrivacy policy