Abstract
Polychrome Jewellery in Kent. A new view of the origin and dating of the garnet-inlaid jewellery from Teutonic graves in Kent is put forward by Mr. T. D. Kendrick in Antiquity for December. According to the generally accepted view of the two groups into which this jewellery falls, one (Style A) characterised by closonne and filigree, in which there is no ehip-carving and niello is rare, is regarded as later than the class (Style B) in which chip-carving and cast settings are the rule, niello is common, and there is no filigree and no closonné The earlier, Style B, is dated as from the early sixth century, while Style A is assigned to late sixth or early seventh century, one view holding that the latter represents Jutish supremacy under Ethelbert. It is here suggested, however, that a substantial part of the polychrome jewellery belongs to an earlier Kentish population than the Jutes of Ethelbert, and that the two groups are contemporary and belong to the archæology of the Jutish invasion, with a central date at about A.D. 500. It is clear that Style A had a cultural background of its own, remarkable for its ‘luxury’ or foreign aspect, being associated with Coptic bronze bowls, amethyst beads and cowries. It is also associated with ‘British’ hanging bowls. Its distribution in the main is along Watling Street, while Style B is found chiefly in Thanet and the Sandwich country. While Style B may well be Jutish, it is suggested that Style A, which exhibits unrivalled workmanship and is clearly a distinct culture, was of British origin. The distribution of the two cultures is explicable on the supposition that for a time the Dover road continued to be held by British when all other lines of communication had been blocked by the Jutes and that the Teutonic settlements along the Watling Street are those not of Jutes but of miscellaneous Teutonic mercenaries called in to help keep open communications with the Continent.
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Research Items. Nature 133, 30–32 (1934). https://doi.org/10.1038/133030a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/133030a0
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