Boudica’s horn of horror: Iron Age treasures unearthed in Norfolk include a battle trumpet used to inspire warriors during combat
A separate carnyx war horn that was previously put on display at the British Museum in an exhibition on Celts (left). The newly discovered carnyx (right) has been hailed as 'hugely significant for our understanding of ancient British culture'
A remarkable collection of Iron Age objects dating back 2,000 years has been discovered in West Norfolk - and it includes a battle trumpet that could have been used by Boudica's warriors.
The hoard of metal items, which were unearthed during a routine archaeological excavation, have been hailed as ‘hugely significant for our understanding of ancient British culture’.
Among them is a near-complete Iron Age battle trumpet, also known as a carnyx, which was used by Celtic tribes across Europe to inspire their warriors in battle against the expanding Roman empire.
The haul was found buried in land once populated by the Iceni tribe, which rose up against Roman rule in 60AD under warrior queen Boudica.
The collection also includes a sheet-bronze boar’s head, originally from a military standard, as well as five shield bosses – the convex metal dome attached to the centre of the defensive object.
Experts said the finds are rare – not only in a British context, but across Europe.
‘This extraordinary find will add enormously to our understanding of the Iron Age world,’ Dr Fraser Hunter, Iron Age and Roman curator at National Museums Scotland and a leading authority on carnyces, said.
‘I’ve looked at carnyces from around Europe, and the full research and conservation of these incredibly fragile remains will reshape our view of sound and music in the Iron Age.’
A remarkable collection of Iron Age objects dating back 2,000 years has been discovered in West Norfolk. Pictured: Stacks of shield bosses covering the head of the carnyx
The near-complete Iron Age battle trumpet, also known as a carnyx, which was used by Celtic tribes across Europe to inspire their warriors in battle against the expanding Roman empire
The battle trumpets used by Iron Age Celts were elongated, vertical, S-shaped bronze wind instruments.
They were typically two metres (6.5 feet) tall and held upright so the loud, harsh and piercing sound would project over the heads of the warriors.
Its most distinctive feature was the upward-facing bell, which was often sculpted in the shape of an open-mouthed animal’s head.
The bronze boar head was originally part of a military standard and would have been held aloft to represent a unit’s identity or rallying point during battle.
Dr Tim Pestell, Senior Curator of Archaeology for Norfolk Museums Service, said: 'This find is a powerful reminder of Norfolk’s Iron Age past which, through the story of Boudica and the Iceni people, still retains its capacity to fascinate the British public.'
The excavation was carried out by a company called Pre-Construct Archaeology on privately owned land in West Norfolk as part of standard planning procedures.
Following their discovery, the objects were carefully lifted within a block of soil from the site and scanning revealed how the items were positioned.
Conservation experts at Norfolk Museums Service were then able to remove each object for preliminary examination. The items are in a very fragile condition and require extensive stabilisation work before detailed research can begin.
The bronze boar head was originally part of a military standard and would have been held aloft to represent a unit’s identity or rallying point during battle
The battle trumpets used by Iron Age Celts were elongated, vertical, S-shaped bronze wind instruments
Senior conservator Jonathan Clark, undertaking the micro-excavation of the hoard. This delicate process involves carefully removing the objects from the block, securing and stabilizing the fragile material, documenting both the process and the finds and ensuring that no evidence is lost
Claudia Kenyatta CBE and Emma Squire CBE, Co-CEOs of Historic England, said: ‘This remarkable discovery is hugely significant for our understanding of ancient British culture.’
As the find consists of two or more base metal prehistoric items from the same find, it has been reported to the coroner as potential Treasure under the terms of the Treasure Act 1996.
Mark Hinman, Chief Executive at Pre-Construct Archaeology, said: ‘Before this dig began our Project Manager had “a feeling” that this site would be special.
‘We are so impressed with the team responsible for this find. They discovered something completely unexpected, paused for breath, then followed best excavation practice to recover these rare and fragile objects.’
Where the objects will be housed long-term is yet to be determined.
The initial discovery will be featured on the second episode of the new series of Digging for Britain which will be broadcast on BBC Two on 14 January at 9pm.
WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT IRON AGE BRITAIN?
The Iron Age in Britain started as the Bronze Age finished.
It started around 800BC and finished in 43AD when the Romans invaded.
As suggested by the name, this period saw large-scale changes thanks to the introduction of iron working technology.
During this period the population of Britain probably exceeded one million.
This was made possible by new forms of farming, such as the introduction of new varieties of barley and wheat.
The invention of the iron-tipped plough made cultivating crops in heavy clay soils possible for the first time.
Some of the major advances during included the introduction of the potter's wheel, the lathe (used for woodworking) and rotary quern for grinding grain.
There are nearly 3,000 Iron Age hill forts in the UK. Some were used as permanent settlements, others were used as sites for gatherings, trade and religious activities.
At the time most people were living in small farmsteads with extended families.
The standard house was a roundhouse, made of timber or stone with a thatch or turf roof.
Burial practices were varied but it seems most people were disposed of by 'excarnation' - meaning they were left deliberately exposed.
There are also some bog bodies preserved from this period, which show evidence of violent deaths in the form of ritual and sacrificial killing.
Towards the end of this period there was increasing Roman influence from the western Mediterranean and southern France.
It seems that before the Roman conquest of England in 43AD they had already established connections with lots of tribes and could have exerted a degree of political influence.
After 43AD all of Wales and England below Hadrian's Wall became part of the Roman empire, while Iron Age life in Scotland and Ireland continued for longer.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-15438693/Remarkable-hoard-Iron-Age-battle-trumpet.html
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
Professor Tom Moore, head of the Department of Archaeology at Durham University, holds a decorative copper alloy finial
Experts believe this colourful, decorated item is a vessel lid which once belonged to a person of great status and wealth
A 'once in a lifetime' haul - dating to the late third century
The hoard of 50 Roman coins
four different angles of a Roman cupid figurine
a Roman nail clipper made of copper alloy and bone
In Dorchester, a Neolithic henge called Maumbury Rings was adapted by the Romans to become an amphitheatre (pictured today)
This Colchester vase depicts a pair of gladiators named Memnon (left) and Valentinus (right) while engaged in battle - and was made from local clay
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