The newfound necklaces may have been made by Celtic peoples whose goldsmiths crafted them from a central rods with wound gold spirals, according to The History Blog.
Both necklaces were probably part of a hoard, “a deliberate hiding of valuable objects; a type of context which is very frequent in Atlantic Europe during the Bronze and Iron Ages,” Arias said in an email.
Most likely, Arias noted, the necklaces were either buried in a pit or within a perishable container, like one made of wood or leather, that has long since decayed. Soil samples were taken for chemical analysis to determine if such materials may have been present.
I don’t even know why, but calling a torc a “necklace” makes me wince. As does the article spelling it “torque” later on… it’s not typically spelled like that in English, is it?