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You are here: Home / Glossary

Glossary

Torc

A piece of jewellery worn about the neck - but isn't loose like a necklace. These are usually made of various metals and either segmented beads (with a flat metal 'collar') or metal wires twisted together. Roman authors refer to them being worn by Iron Age chieftains - the Roman army later adopted these as military decorations, being awards to individuals or groups for bravery. They are sometimes found in hoards as Iron Age ritual, e.g. Snettisham, (East Anglia). The examples from the region include several from Hadrian's Wall at Benwell, Caw Gap and Stanwix (Cumbria). These were probably Romano-British manufactures. Most of the northeast English examples are of Bronze.

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