- Museum number
- 1990,0701.39
- Description
-
Dome-shaped copper-alloy stud
- Production date
- 75BC-1BC
- Dimensions
-
Diameter: 14 millimetres
-
Weight: 1.20 grammes
- Curator's comments
- This object was found in Burial 4 at Alkham, Kent. Burial 4 is ‘Bucket burial B’. This burial contained a pedestal vase (1990,0701.20), two pottery bowls (1990,0701.21-22), a bucket (1990,0701.23), fittings from a possible wooden vessel (1990,0701.24), a toilet set (1990,0701.25), four brooches (1990,0701.26-29), a lead weight (1990,0701.30), 29 studs that were probably fittings from the bucket (1990,0701.31-59), animal limb bones (1990,0701.62-5), a shell (1990,0701.66), and a bird skull (1990,0701.71). One set of cremated human remains was recovered, from the bucket (1990,0701.70).
The information below was provided in part by Dr Anwen Cooper in 2018 as part of the ‘Grave Goods’ project, a collaboration between the University of Reading, the University of Manchester and the British Museum. The description is based on:
Philp, B. 2014. Discoveries and Excavations Across Kent: Digging Up the Past!
Burial 4 (Philp 2014, 13, 15, 17, figs. 2, 4, 6, 8-10 and pls. I and II):
Truncated cremation burial in a rectangular pit, this time 1.28 X 1.05 x 0.2m deep with steep sides and a flat base. The burial contained three pottery vessels (1990,0701.20-22; fig.6). A fine (but collapsed) pedestal urn (1990,0701.20) was placed at the centre of the pit with two smaller vessels (1990,0701.21-22), each with distinct cordons and similar to the vessels from Burial 3. A wooden bucket (1990,0701.23) was positioned to the south-west of the burial pit, almost touching the central pot. Over 20 rivets or studs (1990,0701.31-59) were part of this bucket, though only two (1990,0701.57-8) have been incorporated into the reconstruction. The bucket contained the cremated bone of an adult (1990,0701.70), two copper-alloy brooches (1990,0701.26-27) and a small toilet-set (1990,0701.25; fig. 10). Other items in the burial included a possible wooden bowl with copper-alloy fittings (1990,0701.24), which contained the skull of a bird (1990,0701.71), a lead weight (1990,0701.30), two iron brooches (1990,0701.28-29), a shell (1990,0701.66) and three small meat bones (not yet identified) (1990,0701.62-5).
(NB: Philp states that the copper alloy brooches and toilet set were found in the bucket. He also locates ‘brooches’ near the bowl on the site plan, presumably referring to the two corroded iron brooches. The British Museum register states that all four brooches, not just the two copper alloy examples, were found with the cremated remains inside the bucket. This could be an error.)
- Location
- Not on display
- Acquisition date
- 1990
- Department
- Britain, Europe and Prehistory
- Registration number
- 1990,0701.39