Archaeologists in Wales have discovered archaeological treasures dating back to the Bronze Age. The finds, consisting of a hair ring made of gold and a wooden comb, are the oldest ever found in the United Kingdom.
The items were found in a roadside grave in the Glamorgan Valley, in South Wales, next to a person who was cremated some 3,000 years ago.
The comb has eight teeth which, contrary to what usually happens with wood and other organic materials, are still there in an amazing state of preservation. Archaeologists believe that being there for cremation may have prevented it from completely disintegrating and surviving as coal.
Obviously, the gold ring is the most attractive object to accompany a cremation. However, the most important artifact is what at first glance might appear to be the most mundane: the wooden comb, a find without equal in Wales, if not in the United Kingdom.
Dave Gilbert, archaeologist, in a statement
The oldest wooden comb found in the UK to date has been dated from 140 to 180 AD, during the Roman period, in 1936, after it was stumbled upon by an archeology student during a visit to the ruins of Bar Hill Fort, near Glasgow, in Scotland.
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Bronze Age accessories
As for the golden ring, it is only half an inch in diameter and is made in a chevron, or herringbone pattern, likely used to line up hairstyles. In 2021, a similar gem is found in Germany, also from the Bronze Age, associated with people of high social status.
The gold ring is a very old, well-made, and small example of its type, and offers a new insight into the development of hair rings as a form of ancient jewelry in Great Britain and Ireland.
Adam Gwilt, Curator of Prehistory
The artifacts are believed to have been included in the burial so as to accompany the deceased into the afterlife, underlining not only their importance to people but also the pride of appearance that has existed in the area for thousands of years.
Excavations took place at the site for construction work on a road, both the wooden comb and the ring were removed, and the cremated remains of the bodies were removed and will be analyzed before they are displayed at the Ömjidva Cymru Museum.
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