Ringlemere Barrow

Ringlemere Barrow near Sandwich, Kent, is an Early Bronze Age funerary site (c. 2300 BC) famous for the discovery of the Ringlemere Gold Cup. Found by metal detectorist Cliff Bradshaw on 4 November 2001, the crushed gold cup dates to 1700-1500 BC and was crafted from a single gold ingot with a riveted handle and horizontal ribbing. Excavations by Canterbury Archaeological Trust (2002-2005) revealed the cup had been ploughed from a massive barrow sited upon a single-entranced henge. The dig also uncovered Mesolithic activity, Neolithic features, and an Anglo-Saxon cemetery. The British Museum acquired the cup for 270,000 pounds; it is one of only seven similar Bronze Age gold vessels known from Europe.