A Metal Detectorist Discovered A Hoard Of Iron Age Artifacts In England, Including Ornate Cauldrons And Ceremonial Spears
A treasure trove of 2,000-year-old artifacts has been discovered in England, including ceremonial spears, ornate cauldrons, elaborately decorated horse harnesses, bridle bits, and hundreds of other objects. According to experts, the hoard is one of the largest Iron Age finds in the entirety of the United Kingdom.
It is significant because it has the potential to reshape our understanding of trade, travel, wealth, and status among Britain’s tribes during that time period.
The hoard was discovered in December 2021 by a metal detectorist named Peter Heads. He was scanning the ground in a field near Melsonby, a village located in North Yorkshire in northeast England.
When Heads started digging, he knew he had made a major find. So, he contacted Tom Moore, an archaeologist at Durham University.
Moore arrived at the site and quickly realized the hoard’s significance. He secured roughly $155,000 from Historic England to excavate the area.
The excavation work took place in 2022. Ever since then, researchers have been analyzing the collection of more than 800 items.
The artifacts most likely date back to the period when the Roman emperor Claudius was invading Britain. They may have belonged to the Brigantes, a tribe that was in control of the majority of northern England during the Iron Age.
At least 14 horse harnesses were found, and they were probably used to pull ancient chariots or wagons. The harnesses were decorated with colorful glass and Mediterranean coral, indicating that the owner of them was of high status and great wealth, with connections across Europe and the Roman Empire.
The researchers also dug up iron tires, other vehicle parts, and a cauldron used as a wine mixing bowl. The collection of artifacts contains the first evidence of four-wheeled wagons in Iron Age Britain.
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Some of the objects corroded together over time, so the researchers had to carefully separate them from one another. The tangled items may have been placed in a bag together.
Many of the artifacts were burned or broken on purpose, further suggesting that they belonged to an elite figure. They may have been included in a funerary pyre, although no human remains were detected.
“This is symbolic—it is not just throwing something away,” Moore said. “It is something we’re familiar with from the Iron Age, where people ritually destroyed things. What we’ve got here is on a grand scale.”
The discovery of relics that display wealth and power challenges the long-held belief that northern England was poorer than southern England during the Iron Age.
Instead, the northern part of the country was just as powerful and well-connected as Iron Age communities in the south.
Overall, the artifacts are worth about $330,000. Some will be displayed at the Yorkshire Museum.
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