Researchers recovered a stunning set of decorated bronze statues (among other finds) from a second or third century B.C. chariot which may have been buried as a religious offering.
The findings were made by University of Leicester archaeologists near the Burrough Hill Iron Age hillfort in England.
The discovery was made while four students were digging a large pit near the remains of a house; they later found similar parts nearby. The artifacts were carefully cleaned, revealing beautiful metalwork such as a motif displaying three wavy lines similar to the flag of the Isle of Man.
"Realizing that I was actually uncovering a hoard that was carefully placed there hundreds of years ago made it the find of a lifetime. Looking at the objects now they have been cleaned makes me even more proud, and I can't wait for them to go on display," said Nora Battermann, a student from University of Leicester who was involved in the discovery.
The researchers believe the pieces were gathered in a box before being placed in the ground on a layer of cereal chaff and burnt in a long-lost religious ritual. The artifacts were then covered by a layer of burnt cinder and slag and forgotten about for 2,200 years. The ritual was most likely in honor of the start of a new season or the complement of the building of a house or fortress.
"The atmosphere at the dig on the day was a mix of 'tremendously excited' and 'slightly shell-shocked'. I have been excavating for 25 years and I have never found one of these pieces - let alone a whole set. It is a once-in-a-career discovery," said Jeremy Taylor, Lecturer in Landscape Archaeology at the University's School of Archaeology and Ancient History and co-director of the Burrough Hill field project.
The findings also included iron tools that may have been used to groom horses.The chariot pieces are believed to have belonged to a person of nobility or warrior.
The parts have been taken to the University of Leicester's School of Archaeology and Ancient History for further analysis and will most likely be put on display in the future.
