British Museum Brings Together Newark and Sedgeford Torcs

This is tres cool, darlings!  One example is intact and gorgeous. The other example, of the same era, was smushed and torn-apart, but is still gorgeous.  Now the workmanship of both can be compared, side-to-side, and archaeologists (and jewelers too, no doubt), have learned very much from this.

Blog entry at Past Horizons
December 13, 2010
Newark and Sherwood District Council have agreed to loan the Newark Torc to the British Museum, where it is now on display

The Department of Prehistory & Europe has arranged a case in the Britain and Europe (800BC – AD43) gallery to display the Newark Torc alongside the British Museum’s own ‘Sedgeford Torc’, found in 1965. Both torcs date to the pre-Roman Iron Age and are composed of twisted gold wire strands attached to hollow terminals, embellished with ‘La Tene’ decoration. This design allowed for a natural flex in the band to accommodate the twisting action necessary to slip the decoration around the wearer’s neck. [more...]