eternal_spirit
14-10-2007, 05:26 PM
http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/northeast/sites/mold_town/images/mold-cape/cape_200.jpg
The Mold Cape is one of Britain's most famous ancient artefacts. It ranks alongside the Battersea Shield, the Mildenhall Treasure, and King Redwald's burial ship at Sutton Hoo. Alongside the Caergwrle Bowl, it is one of the most important European Bronze Age finds and was discovered here in NE Wales.A gang of workmen from the local workhouse discovered the cape in 1833. They were digging for stone in a mound at Bryn yr Ellyllon, Mold, when they uncovered a stone lined burial chamber. The cape was crushed and was further damaged as it was shared out between the finders.
Luckily, the vicar of Mold recorded the finds. Many of the objects found in the grave have long disappeared such as the skeletal remains, most of the amber beads, several pieces of the cape, and the pottery vessel, found nearby, which contained cremated human bones. Tradition has it that quite a few locals had new jewellery soon after the cape's discovery. Though it is more likely artefacts from the grave were sold on for hard cash.
Professor Terence Powell dated the Cape to around 1350-1250BC. Since Professor Powell's time, new research has pushed the Cape back further still to around 1950-1550BC based on scientific analysis of the gold in the Cape, the bronze in the straps and knowledge of the burial practices of the Early Bronze Age.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/northeast/sites/flintshire/pages/cape.shtml
http://www.wrexham.gov.uk/images/news_images/mold_cape_side.jpg
Side view
The Mold Cape is one of Britain's most famous ancient artefacts. It ranks alongside the Battersea Shield, the Mildenhall Treasure, and King Redwald's burial ship at Sutton Hoo. Alongside the Caergwrle Bowl, it is one of the most important European Bronze Age finds and was discovered here in NE Wales.A gang of workmen from the local workhouse discovered the cape in 1833. They were digging for stone in a mound at Bryn yr Ellyllon, Mold, when they uncovered a stone lined burial chamber. The cape was crushed and was further damaged as it was shared out between the finders.
Luckily, the vicar of Mold recorded the finds. Many of the objects found in the grave have long disappeared such as the skeletal remains, most of the amber beads, several pieces of the cape, and the pottery vessel, found nearby, which contained cremated human bones. Tradition has it that quite a few locals had new jewellery soon after the cape's discovery. Though it is more likely artefacts from the grave were sold on for hard cash.
Professor Terence Powell dated the Cape to around 1350-1250BC. Since Professor Powell's time, new research has pushed the Cape back further still to around 1950-1550BC based on scientific analysis of the gold in the Cape, the bronze in the straps and knowledge of the burial practices of the Early Bronze Age.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/northeast/sites/flintshire/pages/cape.shtml
http://www.wrexham.gov.uk/images/news_images/mold_cape_side.jpg
Side view