Melsonby Hoard exhibition opens at Yorkshire Museum

A large Iron Age hoard of metalwork found in the UK is being displayed at the Yorkshire Museum. The exhibition includes selected objects representing about 20% of the 800+ items in the Melsonby Hoard, such as weapons, cauldrons, and chariot and horse fittings. The centerpiece is The Block, an extraordinary fused mass of 88 artifacts, over three feet wide and weighing 150kg, preserved in its fused state. The hoard was discovered in December 2021 by a metal detectorist, followed by excavation that revealed two distinct deposits. One deposit contained a massive group of metalwork, while the other was a smaller set of deliberately destroyed items wrapped in cloth and placed in a separate ditch. Conservation work recovered and cleaned fused remains, including wheeled vehicle parts, horse harness elements, drinking vessels with fish motifs, coral studs, and human face masks. The British Museum assessed the hoard’s market value at £254,000. A fundraising campaign secured the hoard for the Yorkshire Museum.

"The star of the show will be The Block, an extraordinary mass of 88 artifacts fused together by corrosion materials more than three feet wide and weighing 150kg (331lb) that is being preserved as it is. The first objects were discovered by a metal detectorist in field near Melsonby in December 2021. Archaeologists from the University of Durham followed up with an excavation of the find site and uncovered two distinct deposits: one massive group of Iron Age metalwork, and nearby a second smaller one of the same materials that had been deliberately destroyed, wrapped in cloth and placed in a separate ditch 2.000 years ago."

"Both were closely packed with objects fused together. The second had formed a concreted mass and had to be removed in a single block for excavation in the conservation laboratory at Durham University. Between the on-site excavation and the micro-excavation in the laboratory, archaeologists spend months recovering individual items and cleaning the fused mass that would become known as The Block. They found the remains of dozens of wheeled vehicles, from iron tires to horse harnesses to bridle bits, two large drinking vessels decorated with fish motifs, coral studs and masks of human faces."

"When the excavation was complete, the hoard was assessed by a committee of the British Museum which determined its market value was 254,000 ($328,000). Last year, the York Museums Trust launched a fundraising campaign to secure the hoard for the Yorkshire Museum near where it was found. More than 1,000 people contributed to the crowdfunding initiative raising 54,000."

"Chariots, Treasure and Power: Secrets of the Melsonby Hoard will feature of selection of objects amounting to around 20% of the 800+ objects in the Melsonby Hoard, including weapons, cauldrons, chariot and horse fittings. The star of the show will be The Block, an extraordinary mass of 88 artifacts fused together by corrosion materials more than three feet wide and weighing 150kg (331lb) that is being preserved as it is."

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