Rillaton Barrow
Rillaton Barrow is a neolithic tomb located near Minions, on the east side of Bodmin Moor. When it was excavated in 1837, numerous artefacts were found alongside the human remains, including a bronze dagger, beads, pottery, glass and - most notably - a gold vessel known as the Rillaton Gold Cup. Radiocarbon dating of the artefacts places them around 2300 BC and research has linked the style of this cup with the East Mediterranean, showing evidence of a trading link between Cornwall and the Mycenaean Empire over 4000 years ago. The cup became lost after its discovery but turned up years later in the dressing room of King George V as a receptacle for his collar studs. It is now on show at the British Museum, though it still belongs to the Royal Collection. An exact copy may be seen in the Royal Cornwall Museum at Truro.
On walks
- Minions and the Cheesewring (3.8 mile walk)