More than 800 Iron Age metalwork objects from the Melsonby hoard are displayed publicly for the first time in York. The hoard is the largest trove of its kind found in the UK and may change understanding of life in Britain 2,000 years ago. The objects are almost certainly linked to the Brigantes, a major northern England tribe associated with Queen Cartimandua. The hoard includes fragments of chariots, bridle bits, weapons, a cauldron, and a rare iron mirror, all deliberately dismantled and burned before burial. The museum acquired the hoard after raising substantial funding. The exhibition focuses on unanswered questions about why the hoard was buried, including possibilities such as feasting, capture after conflict, or a funeral. The mirror is presented as a key clue.
"The objects exhibited in York are from the Melsonby hoard, the largest trove of iron age metalwork ever found in the UK, which experts say could alter our understanding of life in Britain 2,000 years ago. The hoard, which comprises more than 800 items, is almost certainly associated with a tribe called the Brigantes, who controlled most of what is now northern England and whose most famous leader was Queen Cartimandua. There are fragments of chariots, bridle bits, weapons, a cauldron, a mysterious mirror and much more all of them deliberately dismantled and burned before they were buried."
"The hoard was acquired by the museum after it raised more than 265,000, including 192,000 from the National Heritage Memorial Fund. It is, everyone associated with the hoard believes, an unprecedented, once-in-a-generation find. Five years after its initial discovery by a metal detectorist, the public will now be able to see what all the fuss is about. The big question is why the objects were buried: was it to mark an important feast or festival? Did the Brigantes capture treasures after a fight? Was it for the funeral of one of their most important people?"
"The exhibition asks the questions rather than answering them, although its lead curator, Emily North, points to one rare object going on display a large, heavily corroded iron mirror. The mirror is my absolute favourite object, North said. It is spectacular and that's not because of how it looks, because it doesn't look like an awful lot at the moment. It is the clue that could solve the puzzle of why people buried this hoard."
"It was a crazy amount of effort and work, said Yorkshire Museum's senior curator, Glynn Davis. The cauldron found in the hoard, which comprises more than 800 objects. Photograph: Gary Calton/The Guardian The hoard was acquired by the museum after it raised more than 265,000, including 192,000 from the National Heritage Memorial Fund."
Read at www.theguardian.com
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