Sun-discs

These small rounded sheets of gold were often found in pairs.  They usually had two small holes in the centre which suggests that they may have been sewn on to something such as cloth.  They are known to be made earlier than the lunula and I wonder if the off cuts of these inspired the design of the crescent shaped neck ornament.  The sun-disc is decorated with a cross-shape motif created with the use of repousse.  This is a technique where the metal is worked from the back of the object, creating a raised design on the front.  A punch and hammer is used to press out the metal after it has been annealed (the process of heating the metal to make it soft enough to work on). Annealing is repeated often as metal becomes brittle as it is worked.

The above picture shows modern repousse work.