A Glimmer in the Earth: the Treasures of Rhayader & its Region
Rhayader Museum & Gallery, Powys
4 June –
4 September 2011
In June 2011, Powys will see the return of an irreplaceable Roman treasure trove for the first time since it was unearthed in Rhayader.
The Rhayader Jewels were discovered in 1899 by chance alone: a golden necklace inset with multicoloured stones, a gold ring engraved with the figure of a tiny ant, an exquisitely wrought golden bracelet, broken in two halves. Tucked into the crevice of a rock on a mountainside in Radnorshire during Powys’ first days under Roman rule, the treasures were to lie buried for two millennia. The true story of their origin and loss remains unknown.
Gold bracelet, consisting of a broad band on which is wirework in two rows of guilloche pattern separated and edges by twisted threads; broken across middle, and at both ends a panel with hinge, with scroll design containing enamel.