[Jimbuna]

'Once-in-a-lifetime' Iron Age hoard found in Yorkshire

A "once-in-a-lifetime" hoard of Iron Age artefacts has been uncovered by archaeologists.

Dubbed the Melsonby hoard, more than 800 items were discovered by metal detectorist Peter Heads in 2021 in two ditches near the North Yorkshire village of the same name.

After Mr Heads reported the location to the proper authorities, the head of archaeology at Durham University professor Tom Moore was called to the site.

He said it was quickly clear that the find was a "once-in-a-lifetime discovery".

The expert 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."

Among the 2,000-year-old artefacts are the partial remains of wagons, ceremonial spears and pony harnesses.

Iron tyres were also found to have been intentionally bent out of shape, and a large amount of the material had been ritualistically burnt or broken.

Prof Moore added: "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."
https://news.sky.com/story/iron-age-...orist-13335342