A lucky metal detectorist and a team of archaeologists unearthed one of the “largest and most important” troves of Iron Age artifacts ever found in the United Kingdom. Dating back 2,000 years, the Melsonby Hoard was excavated in a field near Melsonby, North Yorkshire.
Metal Detectorist Identifies Iron Age Excavation Site
In 2021, shortly before Christmas, Peter Heads got a promising reading while perusing a North Yorkshire field with his metal detector. After digging an even more promising hole, Heads got in touch with Professor Tom Moore, head of archaeology at Durham University, who was already overseeing research in the area. The university secured funding from Historic England, and excavations at the site began in 2022.
The team of archaeologists, led by Moore, was surprised to find hundreds of Iron Age artifacts that had been hiding beneath the dirt for about 2,000 years. These include a large block of corroded metal objects that may once have been in a bag together. “Finding a hoard or collection of ten objects is unusual, it’s exciting, but finding something of this scale is just unprecedented,” said Moore. For now, the exact location of the excavation is not being revealed to prevent potential looting.
Discovery Is “Exceptional for Britain and Probably Even Europe”
The Melsonby Hoard comprises over 800 Iron Age artifacts, the majority of which are horse harnesses. The hoard also includes pieces from wagons and chariots, two cauldrons or vessels, iron tires, ceremonial spears, and a Mediterranean-style wine-mixing bowl. Experts believe many of the items were purposefully burnt or broken before being buried in the first century as a show of wealth and power. Today, the Iron Age artifacts are collectively worth over $300,000.
“The Melsonby Hoard is of a scale and size that is exceptional for Britain and probably even Europe,” said Moore. “Whoever originally owned the material in this hoard was probably part of a network of elites across Britain, into Europe, and even the Roman world.”
Northern England “Not a Backwater in the Iron Age”
Future research on the hoard promises new insights into the power structures, technological advancements, and cultural connections in northern England during the Iron Age. Moore noted that the horse harnesses found in the hoard had been decorated with colored glass and coral. “They would have looked incredible,” he said. “It just emphasizes that these people had real status and real wealth.”
Moore elaborated, “Some people have regarded the north as being impoverished compared to the Iron Age of the south of Britain… We hadn’t found the evidence before to show that this kind of conspicuous consumption was happening in the north at this time.” This archaeological discovery “challenges our way of thinking and shows the north is definitely not a backwater in the Iron Age. It is just as interconnected, powerful, and wealthy as Iron Age communities in the south.”
