The Bronze Age Funerary Cups of Northern England

Abstract

Around the late third millennium BC small cup-shaped vessels began to appear in burial contexts across the North of England where they were found to be associated with Early Bronze Age funerary practices. Known by the name of incense cups, accessory vessels or miniature cups, their true purpose has been elusive. This study comprises an investigation of cups from Northern England and finds the tradition to be heavily influenced by Beaker culture practices resulting in the earliest cups emulating some attributes of Beaker ceramics. The Northern English Cup assemblage defies the current perception that all Cups are perforated as 63% are not; fabrics are found to be locally sourced and not imported and a review of the typology finds a strong regional adherence to the Food Vessel and Collared Urn tradition. Association in the grave with larger Urns is not as common as once believed and Cups have been found as the solitary ceramic indicating that they were important in their own right. Firing damage such as spalling has been interpreted as use of the funeral pyre for firing vessels prior to deposition with cremated remains and it is suggested that this is a recognisable signature of the cup tradition and therefore the name ‘funerary Cup’ is more appropriate. An active cross country trade network can be inferred from distributions of metalwork, precious materials and an affinity in some cases to Irish cups.