The Great Torc from Snettisham
- Audio guide stop: 443
- Gallery: Room 50
- Culture: Iron Age
- Date: 150 BC - 50 BC (circa)
- Object type: torc
- Materials: gold alloy
- Museum number: 1951,0402.2
- 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 The Snettisham Great Torc, a striking gold alloy torc dating from the Iron Age. As you look at it, notice how it is expertly crafted—composed of sixty-four threads, each a mere 1.9mm wide. Eight threads were twisted together to form eight separate ropes, then twisted again to create the final shape. The ends were cast and attached with delicate, decorative terminals that feature embossed ridges and intricate, basket-weave-like patterns created by chasing.
Discovered in 1950 in a field near Snettisham, Norfolk, this torc is one of the most elaborate golden objects from the ancient world. Its origins date to around 150 BC to 50 BC, and it was likely buried as part of a hoard. When found, it was accompanied by a gold bracelet and a coin, making it a significant artifact of Iron Age craftsmanship and cultural practice.
Take a moment to appreciate the skill and artistry that went into its making—truly a marvel of its time.
See it in person
The Great Torc from Snettisham 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 type its audio guide stop number, 443, from the gallery label, or take a photo of it, to hear this free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
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