Stylistically the cup bears resemblance to the Jenišovice-type and is attributed to the Urnfield culture of central Europe. The term ‘urnfield’ refers to the practise of burying the ashes of their deceased in small urns (resembling a bronze conical hat). Other bronze goods, such as cups like this and jewellery, would have been buried together with the urns. The burial practise spread across Central Europe and into Southern Europe, as far as Southern Italy.
To discover more about Celtic culture, please visit our relevant blog post: Bronze Age Britain.