Iron Age torc
- Gallery: Room 50
- Culture: Iron Age
- Date: 75 BC - 25 BC (circa)
- Object type: torc
- Materials: gold
- Museum number: 2001,0901.1
- Museum: The British Museum
- Collection record: British Museum website
- Image © The Trustees of the British Museum, shared under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 licence.
Listen to the free audio guide
About this object
This is an Iron Age torc, a type of gold necklace worn as a powerful symbol of status and identity. Before you is a fine example from the Winchester hoard, made between 75 and 25 BC. The torc is formed of interlinked rings with a decorative hollow cylinder featuring a large, thin ring and a beaded edge. It was once joined by a pin, now also in the collection, to keep the necklace together.
This torc and others in the hoard were not placed in a grave or settlement but buried separately on a small hilltop. Made using Roman metalworking techniques like granulation, they reflect a blending of British traditions with influences from the Roman world. Gold was extremely valuable, and the use of over a kilogram in crafting these items shows they belonged to very important individuals.
The Winchester hoard tells a story of change—local people connected with far-reaching cultures during a time of transformation in Iron Age Britain.
See it in person
Iron Age torc is on display in Room 50 at the British Museum on Great Russell Street, Bloomsbury, London — free to enter. Choose British Museum on audioguide.london and take a photo of it to hear this free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
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