Archaeology Tidbits (Canterbury's Iron Age Helmet)

A  DETECTORISTS  FIND

When Canterbury Archaeological Trust finds manager Andrew Richardson was contacted by a local metal detectorist claiming to have found a “Celtic Helmet”  in farmland outside Canterbury, he knew that such a discovery would be incredibly rare. However, after inspecting the object, he realised that the detectorist had in fact found something unique in Britain: an Iron Age cremation burial, contained not in a pot, but in an upended copper- alloy helmet.Alongside the helmet and burnt bone was  a brooch, most likely used to close a leather or cloth bag holding the cremated remains.

Although the helmets discoverer had removed the artifact from the ground, he had wisely buried a bag of lead fishing weights in its place,thus making it easy for archaeologists to relocate the findspot. Canterbury Archaeological Trust and Dover Archaeological Group opened a 2m trench over this, revealing a small oval pit, at the bottom of which a near-perfect impression of the helmets outline could still be seen, together with small fragments of copper alloy that had been eroded from its crown, and more cremated bone.

The discovery of two prehistoric base- metal objects buried together means that the find comes under the 1996 Treasure Act, and a treasure report is currently being prepared at the British Museum.

 Helmet and Brooch from The Iron Age Burial Canterbury.

 

In late Iron Age Kent, it was not unusual to bury cremated remains in a bag fastened with one or two brooches, but we don’t know of any other examples in Britain where the bag was then placed in a helmet for burial,’ said Julia Farley the British Museum’s Iron Age curator.  ‘The helmet was probably imported from the continent, but the brooch is most likely local.’ Julia added:  ‘The lst century BC was a period when new trade and communication links were being established with Europe. Set against this background,it is interesting to see indigenous burial customs being combined with prestigious, imported object.’

Current Archaeology Magazine

About these ads