Coire Na Fuaraig

A piece of Bronze Age ring money recovered from the vicinity of Coire Na Fuaraig was acquired by the celebrated antiquarian Rev. W G Greenwell at some time during the nineteenth century. Before his death in 1918, Greenwell gifted his collection to the British Museum, where this object is now held.

Ring money is the name given to a small object shaped like an incomplete ring. This example measures less than 30mm in diameter. Such objects are usually made from solid gold, or sheet gold wrapped around a bronze core. They were once thought to represent primitive currency, but it is now believed that their function was purely ornamental. They may have been carried as an amulet, or worn twisted or tied into the hair, and are thought to date to the Late Bronze Age.

This particular example was found buried beneath c. 1.2m of peat. It is unknown why such valuable objects were abandoned in this way: some authorities argue that such finds result from casual loss, while others suggest that these objects may have been deliberately discarded as offerings to gods or ancestors.

Text prepared by RCAHMS as part of the Accessing Scotland's Past project

NJ12NE 13 17 25

A piece of 'false' ring-money from Coire na Fuaraig (name: NJ 175 253) is in the British Museum (Greenwell Collection: WG 23). Penannular, 1.2ins in diameter, it was found on sand, under 4ft of peat.

I C Walker 1966.