Britain’s Hidden Treasures: The Pieces of Rare Iron Age Helmet Found at Snettisham

Thanks to advanced scientific testing, the copper alloy fragments unearthed at Snettisham, Norfolk, at one of Britain’s most significant archaeological sites have been identified as parts of a highly uncommon Iron Age helmet.

The British Museum, which had been engaged in a 15-year project to examine 14 hoards of gold, silver, and bronze torcs (stiff, twisted metal rings worn as jewelry) discovered at Snettisham, Norfolk, between 1948 and the 1990s, made this amazing discovery.

At Snettisham, near Hunstanton, on a forested hillside with a view of the northwest Norfolk coast, amazing discoveries have been made. Because so many gold and silver alloy neck rings (also known as “torcs”) and coins were found at Ken Hill, the site of the discoveries is referred to as the “gold field.” Known as the “Snettisham Treasure,” these artifacts comprise one of the greatest concentrations of Celtic art and one of the largest collections of prehistoric precious metal objects ever found.

The items were discovered in at least 14 different hoards that were interred between 150 BC and 100 AD. These hoards covered the late Iron Age and early Roman eras, with the late Iron Age seeing the most activity.

Dr. Julia Farley, the Museum’s Iron Age curator and co-editor of The Snettisham Hoards, says this item is especially unique because there are only about ten known Iron Age helmets in Britain, and each one is unique.

The study’s confirmation that Iron Age metalworkers had perfected the art of mercury gilding—applying gold to bronze using a poisonous mercury-gold amalgam—was among its most startling findings. Both the helmet and the extensive collection of torcs from the Snettisham hoards were made in this way.

“There is a reason why everyone was so surprised in that room… helmets from Iron Age pre-Roman Britain, are just vanishingly rare,” Dr Farley, who co-edited The Snettisham Hoards with Dr Jody Joy told the BBC. “ And this one is a one-off, it’s got a kind of nasal bridge which is really unusual and these little brow pieces and it’s all hammered out from incredibly thin sheet bronze, and that’s a tremendously skilled thing to be able to do. We didn’t know they could do this in Britain 2,000 years ago”.

Dr. Joy, a former European Iron Age curator at the British Museum and one of the project’s top researchers, said the helmet fragments, which were previously believed to be pieces of a vessel, were long regarded as one of the unsolved mysteries of the Snettisham Hoards.

He explained that the materials had been meticulously reconstructed by metals conservator Fleur Shearman, who had put them together like a complicated archaeological jigsaw puzzle.

Researchers believed it was probably not complete when it was put into the ground because so much was missing. Most likely, Dr. Joy thinks, it was saved for personal or sentimental reasons, and might have even been used to carry other objects (like the torcs, for example).

In the fields and forests of Ken Hill, close to Snettisham, about 400 torcs have been found, and their varied sizes indicate that they can be worn as neck, arm, or bracelet rings.

The Snettisham Great Torc, one of the most intricate golden artifacts to emerge from ancient world excavations, was among the more than 60 rings that were found to be whole or nearly whole.

The British Museum, in partnership with Norwich Castle Museum, which owns a portion of the collection, began this extensive research project because the torcs had been largely left unexamined for many years.

Researchers from the British Museum were able to uncover minute details about these ringed objects, like wear patterns and polishing on areas that would have come into contact with the body or clothing, thanks to advanced scientific analysis, which included the use of electron microscopes.

The wear and tear on these valuable and valued items was significant, the researchers concluded, as it suggested they’d been worn by their owners for a long time and were prized possessions.

The team confirmed that the torcs (metal rings) were likely worn by men, women, and even younger individuals, rather than being reserved exclusively for high-status men.

Dr Farley told BBC: “Torcs are unique, individual, you wear them on your body [while] coins are mutually indistinguishable. You can give them to lots of people and they can be scattered and brought back. So the two things don’t work well together.

Our theory is these torcs are too special, too unique and too important to be melted down and turned into coins, and instead people decided to have a ceremony to bring people together and put them in the ground.”

Drone Mapping Reveals Shockingly Huge Size of 3,000-Year-Old Caucasus Settlement

Using drone mapping, an academic from Cranfield University in the UK has revealed that Dmanisis Gora, a 3,000-year-old mountainside fortress in the Caucasus Mountains, is much larger than previously thought.

Among the first of its kind in this region of Eurasia, Dmanisis Gore, which is inside the boundaries of the Republic of Georgia, has long been regarded as a significant Late Bronze Age/Early Iron Age settlement.

Dr Nathaniel Erb-Satullo, Senior Lecturer in Archaeological Science at Cranfield Forensic Institute, has been researching the site since 2018 with Dimitri Jachvliani, his co-director from the Georgian National Museum, revealing details that re-shape our understanding of the site and contribute to a global reassessment of ancient settlement growth and urbanism.

Research on the fortress – named Dmanisis Gora – began with test excavations on a fortified promontory between two deep gorges.

A subsequent visit in Autumn, when the knee-high high summer grasses had died back, revealed that the site was much larger than originally thought.

Scattered across a huge area outside the inner fortress were the remains of additional fortification walls and other stone structures. Because of its size, it was impossible to get a sense of the site as a whole from the ground,  prompting the use of advanced drone technology to create aerial imagery.

“The drone took nearly 11,000 pictures, which were processed using specialized software to produce high-resolution digital elevation models and orthophotos,” Dr. Erb-Satullo explained.

“These datasets allowed us to identify subtle topographic features and create precise maps of fortification walls, graves, field systems, and other structures within the outer settlement.”

The drone survey showed that the fort is expansive, with its outer settlement protected by a fortification wall that stretches a kilometer long. This makes Dmanisis Gora more than 40 times the size initially estimated.

The research team used a DJI Phantom 4 RTK drone which can provide relative positional accuracy of under 2cm as well as extremely high-resolution aerial imagery.

In order to obtain a highly accurate map of human-made features, the team carefully checked each feature in the aerial imagery to confirm its identification.

The researchers merged aerial photographs with declassified Cold War–era spy satellite images to identify ancient structures from recent modifications attributable to the advent of modern farming. That gave researchers much-needed insight into which features were recent, and which were older.

It also enabled researchers to assess what areas of the ancient settlement were damaged by modern agriculture. All of those data sets were merged in Geographic Information System (GIS) software, helping to identify patterns and changes in the landscape.

The massive size and defensive architecture of the site suggest that it was a major settlement in an era of evolving social and political complexity in the region.

The authors note that the data from Dmanisis Gora supports theories that pastoral mobility was still a major element of Late Bronze Age and Early Iron Age cultures in the Caucasus region, meaning the people remained on the move much of the time even though they constructed facilities that would suggest they were getting ready to urbanize in a major way.

The site exhibits evidence of low-intensity occupation, which may indicate seasonal use, despite the significant investment in stone architecture. This lends credence to ideas that pastoral mobility was still significant in Late Bronze and Early Iron Age societies.

This work has been funded by the Gerda Henkel Foundation, the Gerald Averay Wainwright Fund and the British Institute at Ankara.

Sixth-Century Sword Unearthed in Anglo-Saxon Cemetery near Canterbury, England

A spectacular sixth-century sword has been unearthed in an Anglo-Saxon cemetery in southeast England, and archaeologists say it is in an exceptional state of preservation and is similar to the sword found at Sutton Hoo, an Anglo-Saxon cemetery in Suffolk.

The find was made in a rural area close to Canterbury, but the exact location is being kept a secret by experts because they have discovered so many valuable artifacts.

The sword bears a silver-and-gilt hilt and runic inscriptions along the blade. According to archaeologists, the prominent feature on the sword is a ring attached to its pommel, indicating an oath to a king or person of high status.

Traces of the leather and wood scabbard lined with beaver fur were also recovered. The grave also contained a gold pendant inscribed with a serpent or a dragon.

“It’s really incredible, in the top echelons of swords, an elite object in every way, which is wonderful. It rivals the swords from Dover and from Sutton Hoo,” stated Duncan Sayer, the lead archaeologist and Professor of Archaeology at the University of Central Lancashire in an interview with The Guardian.

Some 12 burial patches in the early medieval cemetery site have so far been explored with up to 200 more still waiting to be examined.

The gold pendants with a snake or dragon have been worn by high-status women or thought to have been treasured keepsake from a female relative or ancestor

The differences between the findings in the graves of men and women are even more fascinating. Swords, spears, and shields were discovered inside the men’s graves. Knives, buckles, brooches, and other artifacts were discovered in the women’s graves.

Scandinavian and Frankish origin artifacts were found in other graves at the Anglo-Saxon cemetery; the Scandinavian items belonged to a woman who lived in the late fifth century.

Historian and TV presenter Professor Alice Roberts will reveal more details about the discoveries in an upcoming BBC show – the six-part Digging for Britain – which starts in early January.

Professor Alice Roberts, stated: “I’ve never seen one that’s so beautifully preserved. It’s an extraordinary Anglo-Saxon cemetery, with really beautifully furnished graves, a lot of weapon burials where you find things like iron spear points and seaxes, which are Anglo-Saxon knives – and then there’s this astonishing sword.”

The items found will undergo a thorough examination before going on display at Folkestone Museum.

One of the largest mass burial pits ever discovered in the UK has been unearthed next to Leicester Cathedral

While excavating the gardens of Leicester Cathedral for the future construction of a learning center, archaeologists uncovered one of the largest mass burial pits ever discovered in the UK.

Archaeologists initially suspected that this 12th-century burial pit containing the remains of 123 people were victims of the Black Death, but radiocarbon dating revealed that the graves predate the disease by about 150 years.

Researchers questioned whether famine or disease was to blame for the deaths because, despite the size of the burial, no signs of violence were discovered. They are now trying to figure out what led to such an abrupt mass casualty incident.

The team, led by Mathew Morris, Project Officer at the University of  Leicester Archaeological Services, concluded that the pit was filled rapidly in three successive deposits.

Morris, in an interview published by The Guardian, stated that the bodies appear to have been brought in cartloads and dropped into the shaft within a short period. He estimated the buried individuals represented about 5 percent of Leicester’s medieval population.

The Anglo-Saxon Chronicles repeatedly mention great pestilences and fevers, severe mortality, and miserable deaths from hunger and famine in England from the mid-10th century through to the mid-12th century, said Morris. “This mass burial fits within this timeframe and provides physical proof of what was then occurring across the nation.”

To find the pathogens that could be responsible for the mass deaths, samples have been sent to the Francis Crick Institute in London. The lack of clothing remnants indicates that the bodies were prepared consciously, and burial customs allude to civic organization even in emergencies.

The burial pit was discovered during work for a heritage learning center, which followed the unearthing of Richard III’s remains in 2012.

The identity of  Leicester Cathedral as a house of worship, a destination for pilgrims, and a tourist destination was drastically altered when King Richard III’s remains were found in a parking lot in Leicester. His body was reburied in a purpose-built tomb at Leicester Cathedral in 2015, triggering an increase in the number of visitors to the church.

To keep up with the influx of guests, officials approved plans to build a heritage learning center in the cathedral’s gardens. Archaeologists were brought in to excavate the site ahead of construction — and they revealed nearly 1,200 burials spanning over eight centuries, offering a unique glimpse into Leicester’s past.

A section of one of Britain’s most important Roman roads unearthed under Old Kent Road in south-east London

Archaeologists have found a section of a Roman road under Old Kent Road in south-east  London, part of one of the most important roads built during the Roman period.

The 2,000-year-old road, known as Watling Street, was part of a route from the ancient Roman port at Dover through London to the West Midlands.

Considered one of Britain’s most important Roman roads, the accidental discovery was unearthed as a result of excavation work by Southwark Council and utilities company Veolia to install a low-carbon heat network.

Built shortly after the Roman invasion of Britain in 43AD, it proved very difficult for archaeologists to pinpoint evidence of the route it took, despite Roman roads typically being straight.

“In the planning for this project, we’d expected to solve this question but the extent of survival of the road is remarkable. We hope this project will answer some other archaeological questions in the borough,” explained Southwark Council’s in-house archaeology officer, Dr. Chris Constable, to BBC.

The road was discovered by a team of archaeologists from the Museum of London Archaeology (MOLA), with Dr. Constable providing invaluable advice and assistance.

Southwark Council says the discovery reveals is the first physical proof that sections of it still survive directly beneath its modern counterpart the Old Kent Road.

The well-preserved road segment, which is located south of the intersection of Old Kent Road and Ilderton Road, is roughly 19 feet (5.8 meters) wide by nearly 5 feet (1.4 meters) high.

Southwark Council said distinct layers could be seen and showed a solid foundation of compacted gravel sealed by two layers of chalk, before it was topped with another layer of compacted sand and gravel.

The original surface of the road would likely have been made from the same material and sat at a similar level to the modern road, but this has been lost, says Southwark Council. The base of the modern road was built directly on the Roman fabric.

Gillian King, director of archaeology at RPS Consulting Ltd, described the discovery as “a key finding for archaeological research for London”.

“The discovery of an intact section of Roman Wating Street directly under the current Old Kent Road has redrawn the Roman road map for Southwark and informs on Roman construction techniques generally,” she said.

Dave Taylor, MOLA’s project manager, said: “It’s amazing this section of road has survived for almost 2,000 years.”

He added: “There has been so much activity here over the past few hundred years, from sewers to power cables, tramlines and of course the building of the modern road, so we’re really excited to find such a substantial chunk of Roman material remaining.”

The discovery will be marked by a sign on the nearby Old Kent Road bridge. Find out more about the renewal of Old Kent Road at www.oldkentroad.org.uk

Cover Image Credit: Layers of chalk, sand, and gravel can be visible on the road. Southwark Council

A section of one of Britain’s most important Roman roads unearthed under Old Kent Road in south-east London

Archaeologists have found a section of a Roman road under Old Kent Road in south-east London, part of one of the most important roads built during the Roman period. The 2,000-year-old road, known as Watling Street, was part of a route from the ancient Roman port at Dover through London to the West Midlands.

Considered one of Britain’s most important Roman roads, the accidental discovery was unearthed as a result of excavation work by Southwark Council and utilities company Veolia to install a low-carbon heat network.

Built shortly after the Roman invasion of Britain in 43AD, it proved very difficult for archaeologists to pinpoint evidence of the route it took, despite Roman roads typically being straight.

“In the planning for this project, we’d expected to solve this question but the extent of survival of the road is remarkable. We hope this project will answer some other archaeological questions in the borough,” explained Southwark Council’s in-house archaeology officer, Dr. Chris Constable, to BBC.

The road was discovered by a team of archaeologists from the Museum of London Archaeology (MOLA), with Dr. Constable providing invaluable advice and assistance.

Southwark Council says the discovery reveals is the first physical proof that sections of it still survive directly beneath its modern counterpart the Old Kent Road.

The well-preserved road segment, which is located south of the intersection of Old Kent Road and Ilderton Road, is roughly 19 feet (5.8 meters) wide by nearly 5 feet (1.4 meters) high.

Southwark Council said distinct layers could be seen and showed a solid foundation of compacted gravel sealed by two layers of chalk, before it was topped with another layer of compacted sand and gravel.

The original surface of the road would likely have been made from the same material and sat at a similar level to the modern road, but this has been lost, says Southwark Council. The base of the modern road was built directly on the Roman fabric.

Gillian King, director of archaeology at RPS Consulting Ltd, described the discovery as “a key finding for archaeological research for London”.

“The discovery of an intact section of Roman Wating Street directly under the current Old Kent Road has redrawn the Roman road map for Southwark and informs on Roman construction techniques generally,” she said.

Dave Taylor, MOLA’s project manager, said: “It’s amazing this section of road has survived for almost 2,000 years.”

He added: “There has been so much activity here over the past few hundred years, from sewers to power cables, tramlines and of course the building of the modern road, so we’re really excited to find such a substantial chunk of Roman material remaining.”

The discovery will be marked by a sign on the nearby Old Kent Road bridge. Find out more about the renewal of Old Kent Road at www.oldkentroad.org.uk

Cover Image Credit: Layers of chalk, sand, and gravel can be visible on the road. Southwark Council

Seven metal detectorists found 2,584 silver coins in a southwest England field “the most expensive treasure ever found in the United Kingdom”

In early 2019, seven metal detectorists found a cache of 2,584 silver coins dating to the Norman Conquest that had lain in the ground for almost 1,000 years in a field in the Chew Valley in southern England.

Now, the silver pennies have sold for $5.6 million—making them the most expensive treasure ever found in the United Kingdom.

Adam Staples and the other detectorists reported their “unprecedented” discovery to officials using the British Museum’s Portable Antiquities Scheme, a record of archaeological finds made by members of the public, according to a statement from the museum.

“It’s fantastic, unbelievable,” said Staples. “It has definitely changed my life. It was like holding history in your hand. And, obviously, the financial side of it is brilliant as well.”

The coins are a mix of Saxon and Norman currency, showing a turning point in English history and covering the transition from Saxon to Norman rule (between 1066 and 1068).

Experts believe that the coins were likely buried for safekeeping during the turmoil of the conquest.

Michael Lewis, head of the Portable Antiquities Scheme, said in the statement that the find is “incredible.”

Lewis said the coin hoard will help deepen understanding of the most famous date in English history: 1066, the year William, Duke of Normandy, defeated King Harold at the Battle of Hastings, replacing England’s Saxon monarchs with Norman French rulers.

Though the invasion marked a historic schism, the coins in the hoard are remarkably similar whether they were minted before or after the conquest.

Just under half the coins depict Harold II of 1066, the last crowned Saxon king of England. Just over half feature William I (also known as William the Conqueror), the first Norman king. Other than the ruler they depict, the two types of coins are quite similar.

The AP notes that each has an emblem on one side and a picture of a king’s head in profile on the other, while Harold’s has the word “peace,” which is written as “pax,” and William’s has an ornate cross.

“The hoard symbolizes a pivotal moment in English history, and we are delighted to have made this acquisition so that it may be enjoyed by generations to come,” Sam Astill, chief executive of the South West Heritage Trust, said in the statement.

Named for the rural region in which it was discovered, the Chew Valley Hoard was purchased for the country using funds from the charitable division of the British National Lottery. It will have a permanent home at the Museum of Somerset in Taunton, 130 miles southwest of London, after being on exhibit at the British Museum and other museums across the United Kingdom.

Another Roman Head Unearthed at Carlisle Dig

Another carved stone Roman head has been found by volunteers at Carlisle’s Roman Bathhouse site in the Cricket Club grounds.

The Carlisle Cricket Club hired archaeologists from Wardell Armstrong LLP in 2017 to evaluate a new Cricket Pavilion. It was during this project that they uncovered a Roman Bathhouse, which is currently the largest known building on Hadrian’s Wall.

A collaboration between the Carlisle Cricket Club, Cumberland Council, Tullie, and Wardell Armstrong has brought hundreds of volunteers, known as The Diggers, back to the site annually since 2021 in order to conduct additional site exploration and present the findings to the public.

The artifact was found Thursday, 19 September while exploring part of a newly discovered, monumental Roman building, south of the bathhouse.

The head is thought to be of a woman and is around 18cm by 13cm, and is described as being “much more delicately carved and more detailed than the previous two monumental heads discovered at the site in 2023.”

At about a third of size of the previous monumental heads, it resembles a more Classical Roman style of sculpture. Although details are still pending, it is believed to be a female, found near a potential burial site, and sporting a hairdo that is strikingly similar to that of Empress Julia Domna, who popularized the look. These details suggest the date of the find to be contemporaneous with the bathhouse.

Lead archaeologist Frank Giecco said he was “astounded” by the number of “quality” treasures that had been found at the ground – more than 4,000 since 2021.

He added that even though they had called the site a bathhouse it was also “a leisure centre and HQ”. The building is now estimated at 50m x 60m.

“It resembles a Thermae, a collection of different offices, religious and social spaces, leisure, and administrative rooms.

The diggers have uncovered over 4,000 significant finds, including 700+ Roman coins, painted wall plaster, military artifacts like arrowheads and spear tips, over 400 hairpins, imperial stamped tiles, North African-style roof tubes, glass beads, gaming pieces, and a rare Roman doll’s foot.

The award-winning community archaeological dig will run until October 20, with the site open to the public between 10am and 3pm each day.