Tumna Gold Beads

Illustration

Osama Shukir Muhammed Amin
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published on 18 December 2015
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Hollow gold balls, found at Tumna, Co. Roscommon, Ireland, in 1843, dating to the Late Bronze Age.

National Museum of Ireland-Archaeology, Dublin.

Eleven balls are said to have been found when a group of men were tilling land near Tumna church. Each ball is made in 2 sections, which are soldered together. They are perforated, which suggests that they were intended to be strung together. The graduated size of the balls also suggests that they were strung as beads in a necklace. After their discovery, it seems that they were divided amongst various collectors. Gradually, over a period of 150 years, 9 of the original 11 were acquired by the Irish Royal Academy and the National Museum of Ireland. One is in the collections of the British Museum in London, but the whereabouts of the one remaining ball are unknown.

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About the Author

Osama Shukir Muhammed Amin
Associate Professor of Neurology and lover of the Cradle of Civilization, Mesopotamia. I'm very interested in Mesopotamian history and always try to take photos of archaeological sites and artifacts in museums, both in Iraq and around the world.

Cite This Work

APA Style

Amin, O. S. M. (2015, December 18). Tumna Gold Beads. World History Encyclopedia. Retrieved from https://www.worldhistory.org/image/4282/tumna-gold-beads/

Chicago Style

Amin, Osama Shukir Muhammed. "Tumna Gold Beads." World History Encyclopedia. Last modified December 18, 2015. https://www.worldhistory.org/image/4282/tumna-gold-beads/.

MLA Style

Amin, Osama Shukir Muhammed. "Tumna Gold Beads." World History Encyclopedia. World History Encyclopedia, 18 Dec 2015. Web. 21 Feb 2025.

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