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Melon bracelet from the Hallstatt period

Price: on request
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Object number
AR2689
Object: Melon bracelet from the Hallstatt period

Material: Bronze.

Period: Late Hallstatt period,
around 600 BC.
European Iron Age.

Description:    Bracelet made from massive bronze with crescent shaped profile. The bracelet forms an open oval. The inner side is smooth, the outer side is decorated by orthogonal rips.
The piece is a fantastic example of the opulent bronze jewellery during the Hallstatt period.

Dimensions: 80mm x 68mm outer diameter. 67mm x 50mm inner diameter. 36mm at the broadest spot.

Condition: Absolutely perfect preservation. Wonderful dark green patina with small chips.

Provenance: Acquired by us in 2019 from the German Rehorik family collection. The collection was built in the 1960ies and 1970ies by Hugo Rehorik. It consists entirely of archeological finds from the region around Regensburg in Germany. This bracelet has been found in Mintraching near Regensburg (plan no. 826, Bavarian map NO 40-21).
Hugo Rehorik (1905-1979) was working in the Regensburg area as an voluntary archeologist, mostly together with Hans-Jürgen Werner (1941-1997) and with the help of Gerhard and Robert Pleyer. The team supported the Landesamt für Denkmalschutz (state department of cultural heritage preservation) with the recovery of artefacts. This support was of great importance because the 1960ies saw the advent of deep plowing in Germany. Artefacts in the ground needed to be saved from destruction by the new agricultural machines quickly. The state archeologists praised this cooperation highly. It is a nice example of volunteers and professionals working together to preserve our cultural heritage. And also a role model urgently needed for today's situation in archeology.
The finds were documented and examined according to scientific standards. Intricate restorations were performed by Heinz Rademacher (1929-1992) who worked for the städtische Museum Regensburg (city museum of Regensburg). Most pieces were then given to museums, namely the Historische Museum in Regensburg (Regensburg historical museum), the Naturkundemuseum Regensburg (Regensburg natural history museum) and the archäologische Staatssammlung in München (archeological state collection of Munich). Individual pieces have been split among the volunteers with the consent of the state archeologists. This way the Rehorik collection came into existence.

References: This bracelet is published in H. T. Fischer, Archäologische Ausgrabungen und Funde in der Oberpfalz, p. 244, fig. 19, no. 4.
The type of bracelet is almost identical to the so-called Ludwigsfelder bracelet, cf. F. Weber, Altbayerische Monatsschrift 1912 (Jahrgang 11), Historischer Verein von Oberbayern, p. 155f. Now owned by the archäologische Staatssammlung München.

Authenticity: We unconditionally guarantee the authenticity of every artefact, all items are subject to our lifetime return policy on authenticity.