Co Donegal: Archaeological Objects at The British Museum

The British Museum holds 18 items identified as coming from Co Donegal, along with one further item identified as coming from either Antrim or Donegal. The majority of these (6) are assigned to the Neolithic/Bronze Age, followed by the Early Medieval (5), and Bronze Age (4) periods. The most common object types are axes, bell-shrines, knives, knives(?)/blades(?), and pins (2 each). Only two material types are represented in this assemblage: Metal (12) and Stone (7).


Neolithic/Bronze Age: Stone items
Donegal
axe
18900215.100
Polished stone axe, large

Letterkenny
axe
19890301.143
Polished stone axe with slightly damaged rounded butt.

Glenhead
knife (?); blade (?)
19641206.217
Flint knife or backed blade.

Glenhead
knife (?); blade (?)
19641206.216
Flint knife or backed blade.

Glenhead
knife
19641206.215
Flint knife.

Aileach
knife
18900215.200
Flint knife.


Bronze Age: Metal items
Donegal
socketed axe
19641201.750
Copper alloy socketed axe; cast

Ballyshannon
pin
19211206.340
Copper alloy sunflower headed pin.

Raphoe (near)
spear-head
WG.1611
Copper alloy spear-head.


Middle Bronze Age/Iron Age: Metal items
Inishowen (Inishowen Hoard)
torc (?)
WG.4
Beaten fragment of twisted gold alloy, probably from a ribbon torc
1400BC-1100BC/300BC-100BC

Inishowen (Inishowen Hoard)
torc
WG.2
Gold alloy ribbon torc.
1400BC-1100BC/300BC-100BC


Late Bronze Age: Metal item
Pollen Shore, Presumably the beach at Pollen Bay
penannular bracelet
WG.10
Gold penannular bracelet with solid body of rounded cross-section. The expanded terminals are solid and conical shaped.


Early Medieval: Metal items
Donegal
ringed pin
18980618.900
Copper alloy crutch-headed ringed pin; ring has raised inner rim, outer edge diagonally hatched and bears traces of enamel.
9thC-10thC (?)

Donegal
pseudo-penannular brooch
18930618.250
Silver pseudo-penannular brooch; plain hoop; expanded terminals linked by a bar, collared setting on each; animals back and front.
9thC

Inishkeel
bell
18890902.220
Iron bell of Conall Cael, Abbot of Inishkeel; pyramidal; traces of bronze sheeting; T-shaped bronze mount at top on one side (22A).
7thC-9thC

Inishkeel
bell-shrine
18890902.22.a
Bronze plate, T-shaped, on side of bell no.22; central incised cross, square at crossing; interlace animals & ring-chain in fields.
10thC(late)-11thC

Aran Island
pin
18540714.149
Gun metal pin with brambled, mushroom-shaped head and square-sectioned shank.
5thC-11thC


Late Medieval: Metal item
Inishkeel
bell-shrine
18890902.230
Bell-shrine; bronze and silver parcel-gilt; made for the bell of St Conall Cael; decorated with silver plates
15thC


The following item is listed in the museum catalogue as coming from either Donegal or Antrim:
Bronze Age: Stone item
Donegal, Glenhead (?); Glenhead, near Bathynure (?)
wrist-guard
19641201.137
Schistose stone bracer: polished, with four perforations, two at wide end across long axis and two at opposite narrower end obliquely set, irregularly pentagonal in shape; grey/brown in colour.


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