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EARLY MEDIEVAL GARNET-INLAID METALWORK: A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF DISC BROOCHES FROM EARLY WESSEX

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 September 2020

Helena Hamerow ,
Andrew Shortland  and
Esther Cameron
Helena Hamerow
Affiliation:
Helena Hamerow, Institute of Archaeology, University of Oxford, 34–6 Beaumont Street, Oxford OX1 2PG, UK. Email: Helena.hamerow@arch.ox.ac.uk
Andrew Shortland
Affiliation:
Andrew Shortland, Cranfield Forensic Institute, Cranfield University, Defence Academy of the United Kingdom, Shrivenham, Swindon SN6 8LA, UK. Email: a.shortland@cranfield.ac.uk
Esther Cameron
Affiliation:
Esther Cameron, 36 Bertie Road, Cumnor, Oxford OX2 9PS, UK. Email: esthercameron.oxford@gmail.com
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Abstract

Garnet-inlaid metalwork was an emblem of elite culture in the early medieval North Sea world. This study compares three Anglo-Saxon garnet-inlaid brooches that are exceptionally similar in design and appearance. All three date to the seventh century, a period that saw the emergence of leading families that used such deluxe dress items to enhance their political position. The central hypothesis explored here is that the brooches were produced by the same, or by closely linked, goldsmiths working under the patronage of such a family. Integrated analysis was conducted using microscopy, CT scans, XRF and XRD, in part to establish whether the garnets used came from the same or different sources.

Keywords

Anglo-Saxonmetalworkdress fitmentsarchaeologygarnets
Type
Research paper
Information
The Antiquaries Journal , Volume 101 , September 2021 , pp. 143 - 159
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2020. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of The Society of Antiquaries of London

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References

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