Co Meath: Archaeological Objects at The British Museum
The British Museum
holds 70 items identified as coming from Co Meath, along with one labelled as
coming from either Armagh or Meath. The majority of these (30) are assigned to
the Early Medieval period, followed by the Bronze Age (12). The most common
object type represented are bracelets (10), followed by socketed axes (7). The two
material types represented in this assemblage are: Metal (54), Stone (11), Bone
(4), and Glass (2).
Neolithic/Bronze Age: Stone items
Meath
adze
20050501.329
Polished stone adze
with broken butt, side slightly damaged/indented.
Meath
axe
20050501.330
Polished stone axe with
taperring rounded butt, slightly damaged; blade chipped.
Meath
axe
20050501.332
Polished stone axe with
slightly damaged rounded butt.
Bronze Age: Metal items
Meath
spear-head
19910410.141
Copper alloy socketed
spearhead, blade perforated. Damaged.
Meath
spear-head
18730602.240
Copper alloy socketed
spearhead, socket damaged.
Meath
dagger
WG.1604
Copper alloy dagger.
Meath
socketed axe
WG.1577
Copper alloy socketed
axe; cast. Oval uneven mouth with a uneven bevelled rim. Straight sided with
expanded cutting edge, now chipped and blunt. Surface not smooth.
Dunslaughlin (near)
socketed axe
OA.112
Copper alloy socketed
axe; cast. Oval mouth with bevelled rim. Straight sides with expanded cutting
edge and re-curved tips, chipped and blunted. Hole in side under loop. Casting
seams are very prominent on each side.
Tara, Hill of
socketed axe
18660627.690
Copper alloy socketed
axe; cast. Oval mouth with bevelled rim. Waisted body with well expanded
cutting edge, now chipped. Surface is smooth, casting seams are rounded ridges
at each side. Short haft rib.
Balnadrinna
dagger
18530528.100
Copper alloy dagger,
socketed.
Kells
socketed axe
WG.1561
Copper alloy socketed
axe; cast. A ridge separates the neck from the body. Oval mouth with flat rim
and narrow band. Body cross-section hexagonal but side faces convex not
angular.
Athboy
socketed axe
WG.1571
Copper alloy socketed
axe with an oval mouth. Rim has a ridge of cord moulding. Below are two plain
ridges and two grooves. Cutting edge is unexpanded.
Castletown
socketed axe
WG.1576
Copper alloy socketed
axe; cast. Oval flare mouth with bevelled rim. Straight sides with crescentic
edge and re-curved tips, now blunt.
Kells
socketed axe
WG.1594
Copper alloy socketed
axe, cast, with heaxagonal cross-section. Outwardly bevelled rim and neck
collar.
Early Bronze Age: Metal items
Dunshaughlin
dagger
18481101.200
Copper alloy dagger
with no decoration.
Kells
flat axe
WG.1532
Copper-alloy flat axe;
with a thin, slightly rounded butt. Sides splay widely to form a wide, rounded
cutting-edge. Sides are double-faceted. Entire object is covered dark brown and
green patina.
Athboy
flat axe
WG.1534
Copper-alloy flat axe;
with thin, narrow, angular butt, which has been hammered slightly. Sides are
roughly parallel to each other in upper half, then swing out gently in lower
half to form a wide, slightly rounded cutting-edge.
Trim
axe
WG.1546
Copper alloy flanged
axe with thin, rounded butt; decorated.
 |
| L-R: WG.1555, WG.1546, WG.1553, WG.1554 |
Kells
dagger
WG.1598
Copper alloy halberd
with practically symmetrical blade and five rivet holes arranged in an arc in
the rounded hafting-plate. The cutting-edge has bevelled sides and the midrib
is straight.
Hill of Tara,Croppy's
Grave
flat axe
18510717.300
Copper-alloy flat axe;
with thin, narrow, slightly rounded, damaged butt. Sides are roughly parallel
to each other, only splaying widely close to the cutting-edge, which appears to
have been hammered vertically.
Middle Bronze Age: Metal items
Taragh Hill (near)
palstave
OA.113
Copper alloy palstave.
Trim
palstave
WG.1555
Copper alloy palstave.
Mayvore (?)
palstave
WG.1556
Copper alloy palstave,
looped.
Trim
palstave
WG.1553
Copper alloy palstave.
Trim
palstave
WG.1554
Copper alloy palstave.
Late Bronze Age: Metal items
Clonard
ring
WG.30
Gold penannular plain
ring. The circular solid body is circular in cross-section and it is slightly
thinner at the ends rather than in the middle. The ring has parallel squared
flat endings facing each other.
1150BC-750BC (circa)
Tara, Hill of (near)
sleeve fastener
18490301.900
Gold sleeve fastener.
The crescent-shaped body is decorated with longitudinal incised grooves on the
outer surface. The ends are decorated with a fine diamond pattern between two
bands of three horizontal incised grooves.
1150BC-750BC (circa)
Tara, Hill of (near)
sleeve fastener
18490301.800
Gold sleeve fastener.
The crescent-shaped body is decorated with longitudinal incised grooves on the
outer surface. The ends are decorated with a fine diamond pattern between two
bands of three horizontal incised grooves.
1150BC-750BC (circa)
Iron Age: Glass item
Tara, Hill of
sample
18920525.100
Three glass lumps of
red enamel-paste; broken off from larger mass.
100 BC - AD 200 (circa)
Early Medieval: Bone items
Dunshaughlin, crannog
needle
18481101.170
Needle; bone, pierced
head, shank of oval section.
5thC-11thC
Dunshaughlin, crannog
needle
18481101.150
Needle; bone; pierced
head, shank of oval section.
5thC-11thC
Dunshaughlin, crannog
needle
18481101.160
Needle; bone, pierced
head, shank of oval section.
5thC-11thC
Dunshaughlin, crannog
needle
18481101.140
Bone needle; flat
pierced head, shank of oval section.
5thC-11thC
Early Medieval: Metal items
Kells (?not proven)
crozier
18590221.100
Wooden crozier; crook
of silver and staff of copper alloy sheet; animal and open-work decoration;
human head; Irish inscription.
9thC-12thC
Dunshaughlin, Environs
of Lagore Crannóg
sword
OA.1709
Iron sword-blade and
tang with short, narrow blade; mid-rib on both sides and straight shoulders.
5thC-11thC (?)
Tara, Hill of
(?)/Skreen (? near)
pseudo-penannular
brooch
18930618.290
Silver pseudo-penannular
brooch. Slender hoop, at the apex two panels of gilt interlace framing an empty
rectangular setting.
8thC-9thC(early)
Meath
harp
18680709.490
Copper alloy harp peg,
perforated at the bottom, circular section shank widening towards square
section head - a lozenge with square sides.
8thC-11thC (?)
Tara, Hill of
pseudo-penannular
brooch
18680709.210
Copper alloy
pseudo-penannular brooch; hoop with central setting; linked terminals with red
enamel and interlace; lentoid pin-head.
8thC-9thC
Dunshaughlin, crannog
pin
18481101.130
Copper alloy round
headed pin, shank of oval section.
5thC-11thC
Dunshaughlin, crannog
tool/implement
18481101.400
Iron hooked bar of
rectangular section, broken at one end.
5thC-11thC
Dunshaughlin, crannog
ringed pin (?);
penannular brooch (?)
18481101.200
Copper alloy penannular
brooch or ringed pin, suspended from the hoop is a black glass annular bead
decorated with red and white dots.
5thC-11thC
Dunshaughlin, crannog
chain
18481101.300
Iron chain, three long
oval links of strip metal, two of the links are folded.
5thC-11thC
Dunshaughlin, crannog
tool/implement
18481101.800
Iron point.
5thC-11thC
Dunshaughlin, crannog
hook
18481101.600
Iron strip, flat
section, bent to form a hook.
5thC-11thC
Dunshaughlin, crannog
knife
18481101.100
Iron knife blade, tip
and tang missing.
5thC-11thC
Dunshaughlin, crannog
nail
18481101.700
Iron nail, large,
disc-headed, square section shaft.
5thC-11thC
Dunshaughlin, crannog
knife
18481101.110
Iron knife blade,
angled back, damaged.
5thC-11thC
Dunshaughlin, crannog
knife
18481101.900
Iron knife blade,
curved back and narrow tang.
5thC-11thC
Dunshaughlin, crannog
tool/implement
18481101.500
Iron object, central
portion of oval section, remains of a loop at each end.
5thC-11thC
Dunshaughlin
penannular brooch
18531117.150
Cast (?)copper alloy
penannular brooch with expanded terminals and hoop of rectangular section; very
corroded.
5thC-9thC
Navan, rath
pin
18510717.700
Leaded gun metal pin
with rounded head, decorated with incised, radiating lines.
5thC-10thC
Clonard
penannular brooch
19021219.300
Leaded bronze penannular
brooch; plain hoop and animal head terminal set with red enamel. Pin, oval
section with incised flat head.
5thC-6thC
Dunshaughlin
pin
18680709.400
Copper alloy round
headed pin; shank of oval section.
5thC-10thC
Dunshaughlin
spear-head
18531117.140
Iron spear-head with
angled shoulder and prominent mid-rib, the socket with incised bands and three
lozenges.
5thC-11thC
Kells (?not proven)
fitting; crozier
18590221.200
Kells Crozier. Now
separate copper alloy sheets which formed the original fitting of the crozier's
crook, but were later covered with the silver mounts.
9thC-12thC
Early Medieval: Stone items
Dunshaughlin, crannog
bracelet
1848,1101.12.d
Shale, portion of a
bracelet, of oval section now in two pieces.
5thC-11thC
Dunshaughlin, crannog
bracelet
1848,1101.12.a
Shale, portion of a
bracelet, of D-shaped section.
5thC-11thC
Dunshaughlin, crannog
bracelet
1848,1101.12.c
Shale, portion of a
bracelet, of D-shaped section.
5thC-11thC
Dunshaughlin, crannog
bracelet
1848,1101.12.b
Shale, portion of a
bracelet, of circular section.
5thC-11thC
Romano-British: Glass item
Dunshaughlin
bracelet
18680709.570
Fragment of a circular
glass bracelet, pale.
Romano-British: Metal items
Newgrange
finger-ring
18840520.600
Gold finger-ring, the
hoop formed of longitudinally grooved gold strip bordered with milled wire,
which continues at the shoulders to form volute decoration.
4thC
Newgrange
finger-ring
18840520.500
Gold finger-ring. The
hoop, oval in plan view, is formed of three beaded wires attached to one
another. The shoulders are decorated with double spirals of milled/beaded wire
and small pellets.
4thC
Newgrange
necklace
18840520.400
Gold chain necklace: 50
links of basic single loop-in-loop construction, with a standard hook and eye
clasp, now damaged. The links are very uneven, and there has been extensive
crushing damage.
4thC
 |
 |
| Collection of Romano-British items from Newgrange |
Newgrange
bracelet
18840506.200
Gold bracelet formed of
two tapering gold wires twisted together, with a hook-and-eye clasp. One of the
two small gold beads flanking the clasp has been lost, and the overall oval
shape is probably the result of wear and distortion
4thC
Newgrange
bracelet
18840506.100
Gold bracelet, formed
of two wires twisted together, with a damaged hook-and-eye clasp. There are
small spheres of gold applied at the point where the twisted wires begin.
4thC
Romano-British: Stone items
Dunshaughlin
bracelet
18680709.580
Jet bracelet fragment.
Dunshaughlin
bracelet
18680709.590
Jet bracelet fragment.
Dunshaughlin
bracelet
18680709.600
Jet bracelet fragment.
Late Medieval: Metal item
Kells
seal-impression; seal
18620301.100
Seal-matrix for a
counter-seal of a local or official seal; bronze; circular; high semi-circular
ridge for handle at back; open hand surmounted by flaming star; sprays and
patterns with dots in field; inscription; with wax impression.
16thC
Unknown: Stone item
Kilmainham
brooch
18880719.117
Brooch; shale; oval;
engrailed edge; incised with basket pattern and central sunken circle, four
alternating circles and lentoids; two pierced lugs at back.
The following item is
listed in the museum catalogue as coming from either Meath or Armagh:
Bronze Age: Metal item
Navan (Armagh)/Navan
(Meath)
spear-head
18510717.140
Copper alloy socketed
spearhead, side-looped.
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