Bronze Braclet - Bangle

Approximate Diameter:
315mm
Weight:
287g

Description

A fascinating Bronze ogee moulded bangle

Condition Report

Fine Archaic Bronze bangle, the millennia have affected the metal allowing this vibrant Verdi colour effect to take place. The whole fairly complete, each of the longest edges of the bangle having a combination rope and chevron motive, these flattened now with use. Heavily encrusted [easily removed by a finger nail] with a dry congealed mix of sand and earth to all faces, this mostly obscuring the delicate chevrons.

The bangle is quite an unexpected weight, the writer having worn the bangle, could do so comfortably for a time, however as a protracted accoutrement, if it were, one would certainly notice the dead weight by the end of a days wearing.

A rather unfortunate rip, running from one side to the middle of the moulded central potion of the bangle has occurred, this showing along half the edge of the rip Verdi colour also and along the further half of the rip the bare metal, so an ancient tear that has increased since excavation, perhaps due to a knock or being dropped, one can only speculate from here?

Provenance

An intriguing and unique item traded from Mali through North Africa to Europe.

Historical Provenance

Saharan Neolithic artefacts traded through Africa towards more affluent North Africa.

In the last twenty five years or so a new wave of enthusiasm has seen prices of artefacts steadily rise, this trend will continue as supply diminishes, through trading restrictions and particularly as many borders which once freely allowed nomadic movements are more and more heavily policed, restricting historically naturalistic nomadic trading further, coupled with less open site finds.

Many of these items were collected in open sites. This means found strewn across the open Saharan regions. As nomads traversed the Saharan routes, these objects revealed themselves through erosion and through storms and shifting sands.

Many items have been traded from as far south as Niger, Mali, Senegal and Mauritania, also from the more eastern North African states, Algeria, ,Tunisia and of course Egypt.

Geoffrey Moorhouse traversed the Sahara desert in 1972/3 from the coast of Mauritania to Egypt on foot [3,600 miles], on camel with one guide, an immense feat. On route his book the fearful Void tells of sightings of great Neolithic stone implements scattering the surface of the inner dessert, where the trading routes had been neglected for hundreds of years.