Gallery

The Melsonby Hoard

The Melsonby Hoard during excavation.

The Melsonby Hoard being carefully excavated.

A decorative copper alloy finial from the Melsonby Hoard.

A close-up of various Iron Age copper alloy objects including a linchpin and harness fittings, covered in dirt during the excavation of the Melsonby Hoard

A detail of copper alloy objects, including a linchpin and harness fittings. (Note: the small rectangle of mesh material, bottom right, is a modern reinforcement added for stability during excavation)

A copper alloy finial from the Melsonby Hoard.

A copper alloy bridle bit from The Melsonby Hoard being cleaned under a microscope.

Group of people looking at a CT scan, produced by MUVIS, University of Southampton, of the block of artefacts excavated from Melsonby. From left to right: Professor Tom Moore, Head of the Department of Archaeology, Dr Keith Emerick, Inspector of Ancient Monuments, Historic England, Dr Emily Williams, Department of Archaeology, and Dr Sophia Adams, Curator, The British Museum.

The Melsonby Hoard team looking at a CT scan, produced by MUVIS, University of Southampton, of the block of artefacts excavated from Melsonby. From left to right: Professor Tom Moore, Head of the Department of Archaeology, Dr Keith Emerick, Inspector of Ancient Monuments, Historic England, Dr Emily Williams, Department of Archaeology, and Dr Sophia Adams, Curator, The British Museum.

The Melsonby Hoard team stood talking to each other next to a white table where a number of Iron Age artefacts are laid out.

L-R: Professor Tom Moore, Head of the Department of Archaeology, Durham University; Dr Emily Williams, Department of Archaeology, Durham University; Dr Sophia Adams, Curator, The British Museum; Dr Keith Emerick, Inspector of Ancient Monuments, Historic England, with some of the artefacts which form The Melsonby Hoard.

An Iron Age cauldron displayed on a white table, with a large hole in the centre where it has been crushed.

The cauldron – found buried upside down with a large stone crushing the centre inwards.

A CT scan of the damaged base of an Iron Age cauldron from the Melsonby Hoard, revealing swirling fish decorations on the metalwork.

CT scan image of the damaged base of the large Melsonby cauldron showing rare depictions of fish within swirling La Tène style decoration. Credit: µ-VIS X-ray Imaging Centre, University of Southampton.

“The block”, containing remnants of Iron Age metalwork corroded together into a single mass.

A fragment of decorative Iron Age metalwork, being held by someone wearing purple gloves to avoid damaging it.

A fragment of openwork decoration from the Melsonby Hoard.

One of the artefacts from the Melsonby Hoard - a cheek-ring and mouthpiece fragment from an Iron Age bridle bit.

Cheek-ring and mouthpiece fragment from a copper alloy bridle bit from the Melsonby Hoard.

A group of metal rings of varying sizes, which have rusted and corroded in various places.

A group of copper alloy terrets (rein rings) from the Melsonby Hoard.

A variety of artefacts from the Melsonby Hoard laid out on a white table, including various pieces of corroded metalwork and a damaged cauldron.

A selection of artefacts from The Melsonby Hoard.

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Videos

The Melsonby Hoard – the treasure case

Dr Sophia Adams, Curator at The British Museum, talks about identifying the finds, recording them and helping the treasure process.

The Melsonby Hoard – the find and excavation

Professor Tom Moore, Head of the Department of Archaeology, at Durham University talks about how the find was made and how the hoard was excavated.

The Melsonby Hoard – funding the find

Dr Keith Emerick, Inspector of Ancient Monuments, Historic England, talks about why it’s important that the organisation funds work to excavate and conserve nationally important finds like the Melsonby Hoard.

The Melsonby Hoard – conservation and analysis

Professor Tom Moore, Head of the Department of Archaeology, and conservator Dr Emily Williams talk about the amount of work needed to record, conserve and analyse a hoard of this scale.

The Melsonby Hoard – the artefacts

Professor Tom Moore, Head of the Department of Archaeology, talks us through the items in the hoard including horse harness, 28 iron tyres, and two vessels – a cauldron and a wine mixing bowl.

The Melsonby Hoard – history and significance

Professor Tom Moore, Head of the Department of Archaeology, tells us why the Melsonby Hoard will make us think differently about Iron Age Northern Britain.