The barrow was excavated in 1808 by
William Cunnington for Sir
Richard Colt Hoare.
Bush Barrow lozenge The design of the artifact known as the
Bush Barrow lozenge, and the smaller lozenge, has been shown to be based on a
hexagon construction. The larger lozenge measures 184mm (7.24") long by 156mm (6.14") wide, and 1mm (0.039") thick. Both the shape and the decorative panels appear to have been created by repeating hexagons within a series of three concentric circles, each framing the series of smaller decorative panels. The precision and accuracy displayed by the work demonstrate both a sophisticated tool kit and a detailed knowledge of
geometry. The design of the Bush Barrow lozenge also appears to have an
astronomical meaning. The acute angles of the lozenge, measuring 81 degrees, correspond to the angle between the
summer solstice and
winter solstice as seen from the
latitude of Stonehenge (51° north). When the sides of the lozenge are aligned with the solstices, the long axis of the lozenge also points to the
equinox sunrise. Similarities have been noted between the Bush Barrow lozenge and the roughly contemporary
Nebra sky disc, which depicts the angle between the solstices at the latitude of the
Mittelberg hill in central Germany where the disc was found. The archaeologist
Euan MacKie has suggested that the Bush Barrow Lozenge and Nebra disc "both seem to be designed to reflect the annual solar cycle at about latitude 51° north." According to the archaeologist
Sabine Gerloff, the design of the lozenge indicates "a continuation of some megalithic traditions, beliefs and cult practices into the Early Bronze Age". The archaeologist Anthony Johnson considers that the understanding of geometry displayed by the Bush Barrow lozenge has its origins in the preceding
Megalithic culture. Euan Mackie also suggests a Megalithic origin for the knowledge of astronomy indicated by its design. Lozenges are also depicted on the
Folkton Drums, which may represent measuring devices used in the construction of Stonehenge and other megalithic monuments. Lozenges are similarly depicted on
Bell Beaker pottery and on
Irish gold lunulae. File:Bush Barrow2.jpg|Design, angles and alignments of the Bush Barrow lozenge File:Comparison of the Bush Barrow Lozenge (c. 1900 BC) and Nebra Sky Disc (c. 1800 BC).png|Comparison of the Bush Barrow lozenge and
Nebra sky disc David Dawson has stated that: "The gold studs are remarkable evidence of the skill and craftsmanship of Bronze Age goldsmiths – quite rightly described as 'the work of the gods'". Scientific analyses indicate that the gold originated from Cornwall. This was also the source of gold used to make the
Nebra sky disc and Irish
gold lunulae. The dagger may have been made in either Britain or Brittany (
Armorica), where similar examples of gold-stud decoration are known. The hilt of the Bush Barrow dagger lay forgotten for over 40 years from the 1960s, having been sent to
Professor Atkinson at Cardiff University, and was found by one of his successors in 2005.
Antique knife Some bronze rivets and other bronze fragments have been identified as the remains of a knife dating from about 2400 BC, suggesting that the Bush Barrow chieftain may have belonged to a "noble dynasty" dating back to the time of Stonehenge's construction. An unusual stone
mace head lay to the right of the Bush Barrow skeleton, made out of a rare fossilized stromatoporoid (
sea sponge), originating in Devon or Cornwall. It had a wooden handle, from which decorative zig-zag-shaped bone mounts survive. The mace is considered to be a symbol of power or authority. Similar bone mounts have been found in
Grave Circle B at
Mycenae in Greece, and in gold at
Carnac in Brittany (associated with the
Bell Beaker culture).
Connections with Greece Various authors have suggested a connection between the bone mounts from Bush Barrow and those in Greece, where they appear without local antecedents. This is supported by the finding of
amber necklaces from Britain in the elite
shaft graves at Mycenae (Grave circles
A and
B). According to the archaeologist
Joseph Maran: Amber may have been imported to Britain from
Scandinavia in exchange for metal. Close similarities have also been noted between the gold-stud decoration of the Bush Barrow dagger and the decoration of elite weapons in Mycenaean Greece. The gold-stud technique is exclusively attested in Britain, Armorica and Greece, with the oldest examples coming from Britain and Armorica. In Greece this technique, known as 'gold embroidery', first appears in the shaft graves at Mycenae. According to the archaeologist Nikolas Papadimitriou, "Mycenaean gold embroidery first occurred in the same context as two other types of artefacts that are considered indicative of northern European links: amber spacer-plates with complex boring and weapons with in-laid decoration." These contacts were, according to Gerloff, related to the supply of
tin from Britain. According to Joseph Maran the route of these contacts was through western and/or central Europe and the central Mediterranean. Sabine Gerloff has suggested that contact routes passed "primarily along the Middle and Upper Rhine, Switzerland, the Alps to the
Caput Adriae as well as down the
Rhone.” According to Gerloff the gold plating and metal-inlay techniques used on the Nebra sky disc and related artefacts (such as the
Thun-Renzenbühl axe from Switzerland) also have their origin in Britain, whilst being "generally connected to Mycenaean metalwork". Daniel Berger and colleagues (2013) have also suggested that the Mycenaean metal-inlay technique known as '
double-damascening' may have originated in northwestern or central Europe. Connections between Greece and the Early Bronze Age cultures of Western Europe may have originally been established during the
Bell Beaker period, c. 2200-2000 BC, when Bell Beaker-related artefacts such as pottery and
archers' wristguards are found in Greece and the
Aegean region, likely due to a Bell Beaker-related migration into the area. == Wider context ==