This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: At the end of last year, curators from the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford came to Diamond to learn more about a 2,000-year-old prehistoric artifact. Using the microfocus beamline at I18, researchers unlocked new insights into Iron Age craft techniques and were able to redetermine the item's date.
The artifact was a bronze terret, estimated to date from 50 BCE to 75 CE. This was a significant time of political and social change, immediately preceding and following the Roman invasion in 43 CE. Archaeologists have observed that during this period, tensions between regional traditions and foreign influences were reflected in material culture, particularly in metalworking techniques.
The terret in the Ashmolean prehistoric collection proved to be the ideal artifact for learning more about how trade and international influences shaped material culture. Designed to guide the reins of a horse-drawn chariot, a terret is a small device attached near the neck of a horse's harness. This example would have been especially valuable, as a craftsperson intricately decorated it with red and blue glass inlays.
With the support of the team at I18, the researchers used the experimental data to create an elemental map of the terret. The map showed that the terret's metal surface was primarily composed of copper, with significant amounts of lead. The red glass contained an unusually high concentration of lead, while the blue glass was predominantly made up of iron and smaller amounts of copper.
Interestingly, the elemental and chemical composition of the blue glass indicates that it could not have been made in Britain. Instead, experts believe it was imported from Egypt in the form of beads and then worked into the terret. In contrast, researchers confirmed the red glass was a type commonly used in Iron Age communities in Britain between the Middle Iron Age and the first century CE.
So, this small artifact provides evidence of long-distance trade connections, illustrating how foreign and local traditions merged to shape Iron Age material culture. Beamline scientist Susan Nehzati, who facilitated the research on the I18 beamline, said, "We believe the science we do here at Diamond should be seen and accessible to everyone, which makes this exhibit at the Ashmolean very exciting and rewarding. The public are integral to the scientific process and play a vital role in shaping future discoveries." You can view the terret in person at the Harnessing Power display in the Conservation Gallery at the Ashmolean Museum.
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