Experience the Iron Age

A wealth of knowledge to be gained from this, can't wait for updates.

What happens when a chance discovery leads to one of the largest Iron Age finds in England? 🪨

In our latest This is Archaeology lecture, Prof. Emily Williams explores the Melsonby Hoards, from excavation through to the complex work of conserving a 210kg mass of interconnected objects.

Watch for free this weekend over on our YouTube 👉 https://youtu.be/BpZeeGfnpTs

Our This is Archaeology lectures are made possible by the kind donations of our supporters. If you can, please consider donating to help us keep our free lectures running 👉 https://shorturl.at/XXorA

Big News!!
Anyone interested in textiles and weaving on a loom?
These advances must have continued through the Bronze and Iron Ages.
Would make a stunning piece for the display.

Imagine casting this beast!!

Bronze Age anvil. This complex, beaked form of anvil dates to the Middle or later Bronze Age, around 1,200 to 800 BC, and provided a variety of working surfaces. It would have been set into a wooden block for stability. Traces of gold on the surface indicate that it was used for working precious metals.

Was found near Wimborne, Dorset. Can be seen in Dorset Museum & Art Gallery

Spreading the word, so much to learn from these finds.

Join us for the next This is Archaeology lecture with Prof. Emily Williams, exploring the extraordinary Melsonby Hoards, one of the largest groups of Iron Age metalwork ever discovered in England.

Unearthed in 2022 following a find by a metal detectorist, the hoards include vehicle fittings, horse harness equipment and other remarkable objects. In this talk, Emily will take us inside the excavation and conservation process, focusing on Hoard 2 - a 210kg block of tightly connected artefacts lifted from the ground and carefully preserved for study.

Discover how archaeologists work together to uncover, understand, and care for discoveries like these, and what the Melsonby Hoards can tell us about people and connections in Iron Age Britain.

18 March | 7-8pm | Online
Book your spot 👉 https://shorturl.at/VEmPD

Free to attend. Please consider donating if you can to help us keep our lectures free.

Sorry it has been so quiet here since the New Year, been a hectic couple of months.
I have a 6 class / 3 day booking Mon/Tues/Weds, so today is shield prep day, 100 done, 100 to go.
Will try and get a few pics of children's finished shields.

Could not agree more.

I'vehad the pleasure of handling a Saxon torc in silver… but I’ll admit, I wish it had even half the presence of these 5 Iron Age gold torcs from the Ipswich Hoard, now on display at the British Museum.

These really are something else!
Heavy, confident pieces, not jewellery meant to be subtle.

These were statements!

They came to light in 1968, when a mechanical digger operator was preparing ground for new housing at Belstead, near Ipswich.

Out came five gold neck ornaments, tightly grouped, deliberately buried. For his discovery he was awarded £45,000, a huge sum at the time.

Then, a year later, the story got even better. A local homeowner, sorting through a pile of spoil dumped in his garden during the same building work, noticed something glinting back at him.

A sixth torc, slightly different in design but clearly part of the same hoard. He received £9,000 for his find.

Looking at them now, you can’t help but think about who wore them. Power, status, identity… all wrapped around the neck in solid gold. My silver Saxon torc does the job nicely, but these… these are on another level entirely.

Can you imagine how many were melted down/re purposed after the Roman conquest's and were lost to history?
Just how many people wore these?
All adults?
Higher status individuals such as your Warriors and Leaders?
Did size and weight matter?
The meanings of the designs?
Were they worn daily or "Sunday Best"?
Fascinating.

The Great Torc from Snettisham, is an impressive Iron Age torc or neck ring made of electrum, dating back to the 1st century BC.

It stands out as one of the most exquisite examples of early Celtic art in a distinctly British Celtic style.

This torc is the most remarkable item in the Snettisham Hoard, which consists of torcs and other metalwork discovered in 1950 near the village of Snettisham in Norfolk, East Anglia.

The torc is perfectly preserved and renowned for its exceptional craftsmanship and artistic detail. Shortly after its discovery, it was acquired by the British Museum.

The Great Torc weighs slightly more than 1 kg (2 lb 3 oz) and is mostly made of gold alloyed with a small fraction of silver. I WANT IT!

Beautiful work