Bronze age Bronze Spiral ring - 18 mm

"Bronze Age Bronze Spiral Ring

Culture / Period: Bronze Age
Date / Period: circa 1500–600 B.C.
Material: Bronze
Dimensions: 18 mm
Condition: Good condition

No shipping outside theopean Union. Due to complex export regulations concerning cultural goods, this item cannot be shipped outside the EU. Please ensure you have a delivery address within theopean Union before placing a bid.

Provenance information:
Object Registration ID: 970

The current owner (S.N.J. S.) purchased the spiral ring from B.N. in Schiedam, The Netherlands.

The previous owner, B.N. of Schiedam, did not provide a date for when the object entered his collection.

According to the previous owner, the object had previously been in a private collection in The Netherlands. The date on which it entered that collection is unknown.

No further information concerning the earlier ownership history of the object was available from the previous owner.

Background Information:
This Bronze Age spiral ring is formed from a substantial bronze rod wound into several overlapping turns. Spiral ornaments belong to a long-established tradition of prehistoric metalwork and occur in different forms throughout Bronze Ageope. Depending on their dimensions and construction, comparable pieces have been interpreted as finger rings, hair ornaments or small personal adornments. Without an archaeological find context, the precise manner in which this particular example was worn cannot be determined with certainty.

The spiral was particularly well suited to prehistoric metalworking. Rather than requiring a complicated mechanical fastening, a bronze rod could be shaped into a compact ornament by bending it around itself. The form also allowed some adjustment in size. Such objects demonstrate the practical understanding of bronze possessed by prehistoric metalworkers, who worked copper-alloy metal by casting, hammering, bending and finishing it into both functional objects and personal ornaments.

During the Bronze Age, personal ornaments formed an important part of material culture. Rings, bracelets, pins, pendants and other bronze objects were worn on the body or clothing and could have served decorative as well as social purposes. Spiral forms occur across broad areas of prehistoricope, reflecting shared metalworking traditions and the movement of materials, objects and technological knowledge through extensive regional exchange networks.

The proposed dating of circa 1500–600 B.C. places the piece broadly within the Middle to Late Bronze Age and its transition towards the Early Iron Age in parts ofope. Without a documented archaeological context or precise regional attribution, a narrower date cannot be securely established. As a small object intended for personal use, it forms a tangible connection to prehistoric daily life and to the skilled metalworking traditions of Bronze Ageope."