A rare Bronze Age gold artefact with intricate craftsmanship is now on permanent display in North Yorkshire.
The gold lunula, believed to be more than 4,000 years old, was discovered by a metal detectorist in 2023 in a stream near Grassington.
It has since become the centrepiece of the Bronze Age collection at Craven Museum, located in Skipton Town Hall.
Councillor Simon Myers, North Yorkshire Council's executive member for arts and culture, said: "The importance of this find cannot be overstated and to have it on permanent display in the county where it was found is a real coup.
Lunula Charlotte Craig, Museum Curator (Image: Supplied)
"It will help foster pride in the area's contribution to national history and will make our understanding of this subject more tangible and relevant.
"I think all will find this lunula both beautiful and thought-provoking, speaking as it does to the extent of cross-cultural connections and trade some 4,500 years ago."
Lunulae are among the earliest and most striking examples of gold craftsmanship from the Bronze Age, dating to around 2000 BC.
While the Grassington area is known for its prehistoric sites, nothing of this visual and cultural significance has been found before.
The metal detectorist who found the lunula was searching the area with the landowner's permission and reported the find to the West Yorkshire Archaeology Advisory Service.
Craven Museum then expressed interest in acquiring the piece and began securing funding.
Dr Deborah Hallam, an expert in Yorkshire Dales prehistory, supported the museum's application, advising that the lunula would significantly enhance its existing Bronze Age collection.
Councillor Simon Myers (Image: Supplied)
Following research at the British Museum in London, the artefact returned to North Yorkshire and was installed on a custom-made mount at Craven Museum.
Funding for the acquisition came from Arts Council England's V&A Purchase Grant Fund, Art Fund, and the Friends of Craven Museum.
Charlotte Craig, curator at Craven Museum, said: "This is only the second complete, or almost complete, lunula found in Yorkshire and is believed to be the only one on permanent display in the north of England.
"Gold lunula are very rare finds in England, and so this adds greatly to our pool of knowledge about Bronze Age goldworking and the networks of culture and trade that must have existed."
The techniques used to create gold lunulae are thought to have originated in Ireland.
This suggests that people in North Yorkshire during the Bronze Age were connected to communities across the Irish Sea, sharing skills and materials.
As there are no natural gold sources in North Yorkshire, the material is believed to have come from Cornwall, Wales, or Ireland.
Ms Craig said: "When the gold lunula first arrived at the museum, I was struck by how beautiful it was and how the people who made and used it must have been so sophisticated and well-connected.
"I felt such a connection to those people who lived here more than 4,000 years ago and how they must have felt about an item that was so important to them.
"It was hard to take my eyes off it - I'm sure it must have had a similar magnetic quality at the time."
Dr Neil Wilkin, European Bronze Age curator at the British Museum, said he was delighted that the Craven Museum had acquired the piece.
He said: "The display of the lunula at the Craven Museum will allow its fascinating story to be told in its local setting.
"The British Museum is looking forward to collaborating with curators at the Craven Museum and local archaeologists to help reveal more about this spectacular find and the reasons why such a prized object was given up 4,000 years ago."