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Archaeologists find 3000-year-old women's jewelry in Britain (photo)

Bylim Olena

Archaeologists find 3000-year-old women's jewelry in Britain (photo)
Excavations in Wales

Archaeologists in South Wales have found a gold hair ring and the oldest wooden comb ever found in the UK. The items were in a roadside grave pit dating back to the Bronze Age.

The discovery was made during archaeological excavations as part of a road construction plan in South Glamorgan, Arkeonews reports.

Read also: Unique monk's seal matrix from the Middle Ages found in England

According to experts, 3000-year-old artifacts found in a grave pit containing cremated human remains demonstrate the attention to detail and craftsmanship of Bronze Age people.

Both pieces date back to the Middle Bronze Age (1300-1150 BC) and, according to scholars, were meant to accompany the deceased to the afterlife.

A tree that has withstood the ages

A comb made of wood. Source: Amgueddfa Cymru/Museum of Wales
A comb made of wood. Source: Amgueddfa Cymru/Museum of Wales

The wooden comb has eight narrow teeth and measures only 36 mm. Wooden and other organic artifacts usually decompose quickly in the soil, but the fact that the comb was burned during cremation may have saved it from complete decay.

The Red River Archaeological Group claims that this may be the oldest wooden comb found in the UK. Until now, the oldest wooden comb found in the UK was a small Roman accessory dating from 140-180 AD.

Gold hair ring

Hair ring. Source: Amgueddfa Cymru/Museum of Wales
Hair ring. Source: Amgueddfa Cymru/Museum of Wales

The 1.1-cm-diameter gold ring is expertly crafted and decorated with a finely worked chevron or herringbone pattern. It is believed to be an early example of a decorative hair ring.

Archaeologists have suggested that these items belonged to a person of high status.

As a reminder, archaeologists have discovered a home of prehistoric people dating back almost 17 thousand years.

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