Torrs Pony-cap and Horns 300-200 BCE

"When it was found, this object was thought to be a mask for people or horses. But there was a suspicion that the horns had been stuck to it after it was discovered, to increase its market value.

Did they come from something else originally – perhaps the ends of a chariot yoke? And were they fixed to the cap in the Iron Age, or in the 19th century?

The answer had been hiding in library archives. Researcher Stephen Briggs found a report of the discovery in a long-defunct newspaper, the Caledonian Mercury from 17 December 1812. This clearly shows that the horns were attached when it was found:

 "There are two crooked horns, which project from between the circular openings…"

- Caledonian Mercury, 17 December 1812

Torrs Pony-cap and Horns 300-200 BCE. Current location: National Museum of Scotland.

Engraved tendrils of decoration on one horn, with a duck-head terminal.

The decorated faces of the two horns.

The cap with horns removed.

A tiny face can be seen within the engraved decoration.

The scrolling repoussé decoration can be seen as a bird’s head.

Decorated C-shaped patch.

Decorated patch, with an engraved area carrying its looped shape onto the cap.

Two possible interpretations of the Torrs object, as a cap or a mask. By © the Society of Antiquaries of London.

Illustration of the cap in use. © The Trustees of the British Museum.

Source/Quote:

https://www.nms.ac.uk/explore-our-collections/stories/scottish-history-and-archaeology/torrs-pony-cap/