Appeal
Late Bronze Age Gold Bracelet Appeal
July 31, 2024
UPDATE: We’re delighted that we have now reached our funding target for this item.
Thank you to everyone who has contributed to this appeal. There will be more news on this important acquisition in due course.
Help Dorset Museum & Art Gallery to acquire a Late Bronze Age gold bracelet from Hilton, Dorset
Dorset Museum & Art Gallery have the opportunity to acquire a rare item from the Late Bronze Age. The item was found in Hilton, Dorset, and is currently going through the Treasure process. The object has been valued at £1,200 and we have currently raised £720 towards the object, with £480 still to raise.
The object is part of a Late Bronze Age (c. 950 – 750 BC) gold bracelet with an expanded terminal, which has been deliberately cut and folded around itself.
Why the object is significant
This item is a rarity in the county. Whilst Bronze Age gold objects are by their nature rare, those known from Dorset and dating to the Late Bronze Age only comprise a limited number of forms, and gold items are vastly outweighed by finds of base metal objects.
This item provides an indication that the deliberate modification of gold objects prior to their deposition continued into the Late Bronze Age in Dorset. Many Bronze Age metal objects were deliberately modified in antiquity, but this is not apparently related to treating the object as scrap, but rather carries some other social meaning within which larger objects such as bracelets and torcs were portioned and changed before entering the ground. This object is also significant for the location where it was found. The majority of finds of Bronze Age gold (and indeed bronze) objects have been recovered from the more north-easterly part of the county around Cranborne Chase. This was located in the centre of the county in the chalk valleys, an area which is rich in prehistoric archaeology but less researched and poorly understood.
What we will do with the object
If acquired, the item will strengthen our ability to explain aspects of Late Bronze Age society, through public displays and learning programmes, and broaden the collection so that it will be of even greater interest and use to researchers.
If we are unable to raise the remaining funds for this item, the item is likely to be sold privately outside of the county, with potential for research on the item lost.
How you can help
If you are would like to contribute to this appeal, you can do so by donating using the following link: https://cafdonate.cafonline.org/26620, or by sending a cheque made payable to Dorset Natural History & Archaeology Society to:
Dorset Museum & Art Gallery
66 High West Street
Dorchester
Dorset
D1 1XA
Please indicate in a note with the cheque that the donation is for the Hilton bracelet appeal.
Image: ©Somerset County Council 2.0 Generic
What's on
4 July – 23 September 2024
Fashioning our World
This exhibition special display showcases a project with local young people working alongside Dorset Museum & Art Gallery team as part of Fashioning our World with Salisbury Museum.
Find out more10 July - 23 October 2024.
Sensing the Past
"Sensing the Past" was a collaborative and co-produced project involving The Dorset Blind Association, Dorset Museum & Art Gallery, and Charmouth Heritage Coast Centre.
Find out more19 July - 3 November 2024
Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Wildlife Photographer of the Year, the world-famous exhibition from the Natural History Museum, is returning to Dorset Museum & Art Gallery
Find out more23 September 2024, 12:00noon - 1:00pm
Nature Heals | Trevor Parsons
Trevor Parsons is a local photographer with an amazing story to tell about the healing power of photography and nature.
Find out more25 September 2024, 2:00pm - 3:00pm
Store Tour
Join our Collections Team for an opportunity to explore behind the scenes in the Museum’s Collections Discovery Centre.
Find out more26 September 2024, 10:00am - 10:30am
Storytime at the Museum
Come and join us for fun-filled Storytime where you can listen to some amazing tales in our Community Space at the Museum.
Find out more28 September 2024, 9:30am - 5pm
Cerne Giant and other Wessex Hill Figures
The Cerne Abbas Giant is one of the most recognisable and talked about hill figures in the UK. This special conference draws upon recent excavations and new research by the National Trust, led by Martin Papworth, and offers the opportunity to explore the giant in relationship to other significant hill figures in the region.
Find out moreWednesday 2nd October 2024, 18:30-21:00
Culture Club – Wildlife Photography: A Look at Dorset Naturally
Join us for an evening of Dorset Nature Photography. We'll have a talk from professional nature and landscape photographer Mike Read, in which he will take us through "A Look at Dorset Naturally", and an exclusive opportunity to explore the Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition after hours.
Find out more10 October 2024, 10:00am - 10:30am
Storytime at the Museum
Come and join us for fun-filled Storytime where you can listen to some amazing tales in our Community Space at the Museum.
Find out more