Unprecedented Iron Age hoard found in North Yorkshire

An Iron Age hoard of more than 800 metal objects, an unprecedented grouping of metalwork including wagon fittings, horse tack, spears and two ornately decorated large drinking vessels, has been discovered in North Yorkshire. Its size, scale and the destruction of the objects before burial make it a unique find for Britain and exceptional even for continental Europe.

The hoard came to light in December 2021 when a metal detectorist uncovered the first objects in a field near Melsonby. He reported it to the Portable Antiquisities Scheme and in early 2022 University of Durham archaeologists excavated the find site, funded by Historic England.

The team dug two trenches and unearthed two deposits: one of the largest deposits of Iron Age metalwork ever found in Britain, and a much smaller hoard nearby with similar materials. Both of them were deposited about 2,000 years ago, around the time of the Roman conquest of Britain. The British tribe of the Brigantes controlled northern England at that time, so were the likely owners of this extraordinary assemblage.

The main deposit was excavated with careful documentation at every stage, not just photography but also 3D digital recording. Excavation had to be painstakingly slow because the artifacts were very densely packed and corrosion had made them stick to each other. The second deposit was even more tangled up and corroded. It formed a single concreted mass, so archaeologists removed it in a single soil block for excavation in the conservation laboratory at Durham University. The excavation of both hoards took two months on site. The laboratory excavation took many more months.

The hoards were found to consist predominantly of iron and copper alloy artifacts from wheeled vehicles (carts, wagons, chariots) and horse harnesses for at least 14 horses. There were bridle bits, yoke fittings, terrets (some decorated with colored glass and corals), linchpins, and an astonishing 28 iron tyres. The other fittings found with the tyres suggest they were attached to wagons (which have four wheels), as opposed to chariots (which have two). There were at least seven wagons in the hoard. This is the first evidence of four-wheeled wagons used by Iron Age tribes in Britain.

The two large drinking vessels were found deliberately placed upside down at either end the main metalwork deposit. One is a large, open cauldron that has some features in common with examples from central and southern England, but it is larger than comparable examples and has unique fish motifs on the base reminiscent of the swirling decoration on La Tène style metalwork from the first millennium B.C. The other vessel is a more enclosed cauldron decorated with coral studs and two cast masks of human faces at the shoulders. Its shape it similar to the design of ancient Greek wine-mixing bowls known as Lebes.

Other objects found in the hoard include iron socketed spear heads, the spine and boss of a shield, a large iron mirror with a forged double-loop handle and tubular objects of unknown purpose that are still encased in the block.

Several of the artifacts bear the signs of having been burned before burial. There are melted pieces of copper alloy within the deposits, and charcoal stuck to some surfaces. The surface of the iron tyres has traces of burning. Some of the objects were also deliberately damaged, the tyres buckles and the cauldron bashed in with a stone. There was no grave here, much there must have been a big occasion for this enormous amount of wealth to be destroyed, burned and buried, perhaps a funerary rite or a commemorative feast.

[Head of archaeology at Durham University Prof. Tom] Moore said the horse harnesses pulling the wagons or chariots were beautifully decorated with coral and coloured glass and, with the vehicles, would have been quite a sight. “They would have looked incredible,” he said. “It just emphasises that these people had real status and real wealth.

“Some people have regarded the north as being impoverished compared to the iron age of the south of Britain. This shows that individuals there had the same quality of materials and wealth and status and networks as people in the south.

“They challenge our way of thinking and show the north is definitely not a backwater in the iron age. It is just as interconnected, powerful and wealthy as iron age communities in the south.”

The Yorkshire Museum is keen to acquire this spectacular hoard and plan to start a fundraising campaign to raise the £254,000 ($328,000) sum of its valuation.