‘Extraordinary’ iron age war trumpet find in Britain may have Boudicca links | Archaeology

Archaeologists in Norfolk have discovered an “extraordinary” iron age war trumpet that may be linked to the Celtic tribe led by Boudicca when she fought the invading Roman army.

bronze trumpet or carnix It is only the third example ever found in Britain and the most complete example discovered anywhere in the world. Designed in the shape of a snarling wild animal, the object must have been mounted on a long mouthpiece above the warriors’ heads. made noise to scare the enemy in war.

It was discovered last summer among a collection of iron age military objects, including a bronze pig’s head battle standard and five shield caps, a unique find in Britain, during excavations ahead of the construction of a new housing estate in West Norfolk.

Excitingly, the area where the treasure was discovered lies within the territory of the Iceni, a British tribe in 60 AD. violent but ultimately doomed rebellion led by Boudicca against the Roman army. Archaeologists believe the treasure was buried at some point in the 1st century AD.

Mark Hinman, chief executive of Pre-Construct Archeology, whose experts made the discovery, said the treasure was “a once-in-a-lifetime, once-in-a-career find.” “I’ve been doing archeology for over 40 years and I’ve never seen anything like this.”

While the artefacts are sensational in their own right, their possible connection to one of the few named figures of the British iron age makes the find even more special, he said. “We are definitely in the heart of the Iceni; we don’t know if they were the ones who buried the hoard.

“[But] These items were almost certainly buried in the 1st century AD, bringing us even closer to the Iceni and Boudicca. These are of such high quality… Any important person from the Iceni and other groups would know these objects.”

The fragile artifacts are still under conservation study before being examined in detail, but the potential connection to the Iceni “is an open question and one that we will certainly focus on once we can get closer to the objects,” Hinman said.

A number of Greek and Roman writers described warrior tribes in Britain, Gaul, and elsewhere holding carnivals to frighten their enemies. “Their trumpets are of a barbaric kind: they blow into them and make a sound. a harsh voice “This suits the chaos of war,” said the Greek historian Diodorus Siculus wrote In the 1st century BC. Gundestrup boilerFound in Denmark and dating from the same period, depicts Three players holding their horns in the air.

Part of the carnix of a pig’s head, the only surviving example in Britain so far (melted down by antique dealers one after another), discovered in Moray, Northern Scotland, in 1816; it is now in the National Museum of Scotland (NMS).

Fraser Hunter, NMS’s iron age and Roman curator and a leading authority on carnivals, described the new find as “extraordinary” and said it would “make a huge contribution to our understanding of the iron age world”. “I’ve looked at carnivals from across Europe, and the full investigation and preservation of these incredibly fragile remains will reshape the way we look at sound and music in the iron age.”

Hinman stated that the newly discovered carnix showed signs of repair and had been used for a long time. Although partially dismantled before burial, the shield protrusions were carefully placed on top, “the entire bell and head are relatively complete – and it is the only ear found so far with the ears not removed. It has wonderful large floppy ears and they are still in place.”

“Objects like this remind us of how little we know about many different aspects of our past. These objects had names, people thought they were imbued with power. They may even have thought they were alive at certain times in their existence, and all the stories that came with them have been lost.”

Looking at the carnix, he said: “It’s hard to describe, but you feel like it’s looking back at you. It’s quite something.”

The legal status of the treasure, which is currently in the care of conservationists at Norfolk Museums Service, is currently in the hands of a coroner. decide your future according to Treasury Act 1996.

The discovery will appear in the second episode of the new series. Digging for BritainIt will air on BBC Two on January 14 at 9pm.