A small village in rural North Yorkshire has become the site of one of the largest and most important Iron Age finds in the UK.
Experts have discovered more than 800 items buried in Melsonby, a picturesque community set in a triangle between Richmond, Darlington and Barnard Castle.
It provides an archaeological time capsule from around 2,000 years ago – around the time of the Roman conquest of southern Britain.
The hoard was first unearthed in December 2021 by a metal detectorist before being carefully excavated the following year.
Now, analysis has revealed an unusual haul of objects than could change our understanding of life in Britain two millennia ago.
Vehicle components include the partial remains of more than seven four-wheeled wagons and two-wheeled chariots.
The find also includes elaborate harnesses for at least 14 ponies, three ceremonial spears and two ornate cauldrons or vessels – one lidded and likely used as a wine mixing bowl.
Some harness pieces are adorned with red, Mediterranean coral and coloured glass, and are larger than is typical for the period.
A crushed cauldron, found upside-down, which was excavated as part of The Melsonby Hoard in North Yorkshire
A group of copper alloy terrets (rein rings) which date back 2,000 years – around the time of the Roman conquest of southern Britain
A mask-like human face decorating the shoulder of the lidded vessel or cauldron, shown upside-down as found during excavation
While some of the objects match examples previously unearthed in Britain, for others the best equivalents have been found in continental Europe, suggesting long-distance connections and shared technology at the time.
Cast copper alloy bridle bits, linchpins, rein rings and harness fittings were found within a cluster of 28 iron tyres from horse-drawn vehicles.
Some of the tyres had been intentionally bent out of shape and the vessels were carefully placed upside down.
Nearby, a deposit of spears and pieces of decorated harness for ponies were wrapped together in a bundle and placed into a second ditch. They were removed from the ground as a large block to be excavated later in the laboratory.
The team used cutting-edge X-ray CT scans to identify objects in the hoard, which is valued at £254,000.
Research on the material, which is currently in its early stages, is expected to help scientists understand more about how Iron Age people expressed wealth and status, as well as how and where they travelled and traded.
A large amount of material was either burnt or broken, suggesting a symbolic process of people showing how wealthy and powerful they were by being able to destroy the objects.
Excavation of the site was funded by Historic England and led by archaeologists at Durham University, with specialist support from the British Museum.
Archaeologists excavating and recording part of the haul which contained parts of Iron Age wagons and chariots
The block, which contains the tangled remnants of Iron Age metalwork, was removed in its entirety
Professor Tom Moore, head of the Department of Archaeology at Durham University, holds a decorative copper alloy finial
Copper alloy objects such as linch-pins and harness fittings were part of the ‘exceptional’ 800-item haul
Experts believe this colourful, decorated item is a vessel lid which once belonged to a person of great status and wealth
Your browser does not support iframes.
Professor Tom Moore, Head of the Department of Archaeology at Durham University, said: ‘The Melsonby Hoard is of a scale and size that is exceptional for Britain and probably even Europe.
‘Unusually it includes lots of pieces of vehicles and items such as the wine mixing bowl which is decorated in both Mediterranean and Iron Age styles.
‘Whoever originally owned the material in this hoard was probably a part of a network of elites across Britain, into Europe and even the Roman world.
‘The destruction of so many high-status objects, evident in this hoard, is also of a scale rarely seen in Iron Age Britain and demonstrates that the elites of northern Britain were just as powerful as their southern counterparts.’
Duncan Wilson, Chief Executive of Historic England, added: ‘Quite simply, this is one of the most important and exciting Iron Age period discoveries made in the UK.
‘It sheds new light on Iron Age life in the north and Britain, but it also demonstrates connections with Europe.’
The Yorkshire Museum is launching a fundraising campaign to secure the hoard.
