2002/09/01 by Alison Sheridan, Mary E. Davis, Iain Clark +1 · 1 citation
Earth and Planetary Sciences · Arts and Humanities · Engineering · #Archaeology and ancient environmental studies #Maritime and Coastal Archaeology #Archaeological Research and Protection #Prehistory #Jet (fluid) #Archaeology #Prestige #Confusion #History #Irish #Ancient history #Engineering
paper · doi:10.1017/s0003598x00091298
openalex publication_date 2002/09/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/08
Introduction The black spacer plate necklaces and bracelets of the Early Bronze Age (Figure 1) are among the most technically accomplished prestige items of this period in Britain and Ireland. There has been much debate over the years as to whether these artefacts and other prehistoric black jewellery and dress accessories are the product of specialist jetworkers based around Whitby in North Yorkshire — Britain’s only significant source of jet. As early as 1916, for example, Callander was arguing that the Scottish finds had been made using locally available materials — cannel coal, shale and lignite — rather than Whitby jet. There has also been much confusion over the identification of these various materials. Flirthermore, the conservation of newly discovered jet and jet-like artefacts can be problematical, and the correct identification of raw material is important in determining the best method of treatment.