Towton torcs

The Towton torcs are a pair of gold bracelets from Towton, North Yorkshire, England, dating from the later Iron Age.

Towton torcs
The second of the two torcs discovered.
Material	Gold, silver, and copper
Period/culture	Iron Age Britain
Discovered	2010 and 2011 Towton, North Yorkshire
Present location	Yorkshire Museum, York
Identification	SWYOR-CFE7F7

Discovery

The torcs were found by metal detectorists in a stream in 2010 and 2011.^[1]

Description

Both torcs are gold alloys and formed from a twisted wire with looped terminals. The first torc discovered comprised a twisted wire of two strands, the second had four strands. The first torc measured 75.1 millimetres (2.96 in) in diameter, weighed 67.7g. It had a metal content of 80-84% gold; 12-14% silver; and at least 4% copper.^[2]

Acquisition and display

After being declared as treasure, the Yorkshire Museum launched a public funding campaign to raise the £60,000 required to purchase the torcs.^[3] The torcs were acquired by the museum in November 2013.^[1][4]