Massive 3,000-year-old Celtic gold belt found in British farmer’s field

Cecilia Jamasmie | November 29, 2016 | 5:03 am Precious Metals Europe Gold 
Massive 3,000-year-old Celtic gold belt found in British farmer’s field
The torc, a thick twisted band of gold characteristic of Celtic dress, is believed to be more than 3000 years old. (Image: British Museum | Twitter)

A huge 3,000-year-old Celtic golden belt, so large that it’s believed to have been worn by a pregnant woman or a prized animal in the course of a sacrifice, has been unearthed in a Cambridgeshire field, in Eastern England.

According to the British Museum, the torc is one of the largest and most spectacular ever discovered in England, and it is one of thousands of archaeological finds made by members of the public last year.

Massive 3,000-year-old Celtic gold belt found in British farmer’s field

It is made from 730 grams of high-grade gold. (Image: British Museum | Twitter)

The thick twisted band, found by an anonymous treasure hunter walking with his metal detector, is made from 730 grams of high-grade gold.

While torcs are usually described as collars, longer ones are believed to have been worn as belts. For the Iron Age Celts, the gold torc seems to have been a key object, identifying the wearer as a person of high rank, and many of the finest works of ancient Celtic art are, in fact, torcs.

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2 Comments

  • Peter Dykes

    It’s a wonderful thing gold. Just look at its perfect condition after 3000 years under the wet earth of England.

  • Madbull

    The only reason why anyone would wear that is because there was no BMW 760Li v12 to buy.

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