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For the Celtic peoples of Iron Age Europe, metalworking was an extremely important craft. From the weapons they used in battle, to domestic items such as cauldrons, jewellery and mirrors, to chariot fittings, coins and agricultural tools, metals such as iron, bronze, silver and gold played a central part in Iron Age society. This exhibition looks at various uses of metals in Iron Age East Yorkshire. We tell the story of the discovery and conservation of the South Cave Weapons Cache, a unique example of prestige metalwork. Dr. Peter Halkon of the University of Hull looks at iron production in the Foulness Valley area, from where the iron to make the South Cave weapons probably came. The exhibition also features a variety of Iron Age artefacts discovered through metal detecting in the East Riding. Finally, we take a look back at the education programme that has gone on as part of the project.
Acknowledgements
We would particularly like to thank the following for their assistance in this display The Museum of London Archaeology Service RS Displays & Exhibitions Ltd. Dr. Peter Halkon, University of Hull York Archaeological Trust Kingston-upon-Hull City Council Museums & Art Galleries Humber Archaeology Partnership The late Terry Britten Mick Carr Jack Cooper Terence Douglas Chris Hannard Jeff Lyons Don Waudby Other members of the metal detecting community
Purchase
Following a detailed assessment of the finds and some initial conservation by HAP/YAT, issues of ownership had to be resolved. Eventually, East Riding of Yorkshire Council was successful in an application to the Heritage Lottery Fund to purchase, conserve, display and publish the finds. The total project cost was 174,000, of which 75% came from HLF and the rest from the Council. The conservation and analysis of the cache was carried out by the Museum of London Archaeology Service. (MOLAS)
pit and were probably originally tied together. Spear shafts had been carefully removed and the heads wrapped in an organic material. The whole cache was covered with pieces of Roman amphora (storage jars).
Significance
Although ploughing has damaged two of the scabbards, the objects are in remarkably good condition. Iron Age weapons are always rare finds, so a discovery of this kind is of international importance for the study of Iron Age weaponry and metalwork. The cache is thought to have been buried in about 70AD, about the time of the Roman conquest of this area. The reason for the burial is not known an after battle ritual or a secret arms dump for the local Parisi tribe are just two possible explanations.
Initially just one scabbard tip was recovered, but later, two swords and some Roman pottery were uncovered. Realising the importance of the site, the metal detecting society contacted the Humber Archaeological Partnership, who along with conservators from the York Archaeological Each scabbard has distinct decoration. The sword handles were made from a mixture of metal and organic materials. Trust, carried out the excavation and recording of the The weapons were tightly packed together in a shallow cache.
The burial
The discovery of the cache soon attracted many visitors from the archaeological world (Copyright YAT)
The scabbard tip that started the whole story (Copyright YAT)
After recording the cache is removed to the conservation laboratory (Copyright YAT)
The corroded bundle of spearheads numbered before work on separation begins (Copyright York Archaeological Trust)
The spearheads in their purpose-made packaging after initial conservation (Copyright YAT)
Aims
Why not unbend the swords? To ensure the finds are preserved for the long-term. This This would probably cause much damage to the two included involving the conservation team with the design swords concerned and could not be justified ethically. of the display case, as this would be critical for the future The plough damage is part of the history of the cache. survival of the finds. The swords were therefore conserved in their current To achieve a level of conservation at which the finds shapes. could be displayed to the best possible visual effect To carry out detailed analysis of the metalwork, organics How about separating the swords from the scabbards? and other materials, looking at how the weapons were The project team carefully considered this option. made, and also researching other similar finds. Because the cache swords have iron blades inside
copper alloy scabbards, there is always the possibility that decay of the former might split and damage the latter. Some additional information might be gained by separation possibly the blades might be decorated or have makers marks on them. However, x-rays do not show any evidence for this. There is also an argument that the separate elements would be easier to preserve but no conservation process can be guaranteed. Separation might make for a better display in some cases, but here the iron is generally poorly preserved. Ultimately, the project team decided that separation was not in the best interests of the objects. The likelihood of damage to the swords, the current stability of their condition and the doubtful ethics of such an action were felt to outweigh any likely benefits.
Chemical cleaning
In the past, this was often used to strip objects down to their metal core. This is not only dangerous because of the chemicals used, but it can also be difficult to distinguish corrosion from the actual surface of the object. Irreparable damage can be caused. Chemical cleaning was not undertaken in this case.
Adhesives
Where joins could be identified, broken parts have been reattached, using adhesives that can be reversed in the future if necessary.
Final stages
The surfaces of the artefacts were degreased to remove any finger marks. The remains of the iron sword blades were lacquered to consolidate them, as they are very fragile.
Techniques
Conservation can be both investigative i.e. finding out about how the objects were made and the materials used and preservative, i.e. keeping the objects stable by
YAT staff preparing spearheads for x-rays (Copyright York Archaeological Trust)
Spearheads
The spearheads were probably wrapped in an animal skin before burial. Most of them were buried without their wooden shafts, but a few show traces of wood in the sockets. The species of wood could not be identified.
Research
Research was carried out to look for parallels with finds of Iron Age swords elsewhere in Britain. The decorative parts of the sword handles were particularly important for this work. A sword handle and hilt guard from Warton,
The swords
The South Cave swords have several combinations of materials. For example, Sword 16 has a whale ivory hilt guard and a pommel carved from the same material. The grip may have been made of elephant ivory.
Rear face of scabbard showing exceptional preservation of metalwork (Copyright ERYC/ MOLAS)
X-ray showing construction details of the scabbards (Copyright York Archaeological Trust)
The Elmswell plaque, 1stc AD. Probably a box mount, showing mixture of Celtic and Roman style decoration. (Copyright Peter Halkon)
Craftsmen in metal
The evidence for iron production and bronze working at various sites in the Hull Valley and Foulness Valley makes it likely that the swords and spears of the South Cave weapons cache were made in this region. Little is known of the people who carried out these processes. Blacksmiths tools, including tongs and two pokers were deposited in a former grain storage pit at Garton Slack. At Rudston a pair of blacksmiths tongs and a hammer was found in the grave of a male aged around 20, which also contained a short sword and two spearheads. Possible craftsman burials are rare in Britain and include an example from Whitcombe, Dorset.
In 1985 a heap of iron slag weighing 5,538 kg was excavated at Welham Bridge. It probably dates to between 400-200BC. Eighteen other iron-smelting sites were found in a small area around Holme-on-SpaldingMoor, making it an iron production centre of considerable importance. The heap would have produced 800 sword shaped bars of trade iron. Experimental archaeology has shown that an iron tyre weighing 4 kg would have needed 700 kg of charcoal, itself the product of 5 tonnes of wood The Foulness (pronounced Foona) river, meaning dirty river, probably owes its name to the presence of bog iron and c. 130 person days of labour. ore, giving the water a rusty colour. Its ores have been
Part of the Arras cemetery from the air (Copyright Peter Halkon)
The Welham Bridge slag heap being excavated (Copyright Peter Halkon)
The Kirkburn chariot burial under excavation, including a chain mail shirt (Copyright Peter Halkon)
Experimental iron smelting furnace and artists reconstruction (Copyright Peter Halkon/Mark Faulkner, courtesy of Peter Crew)
A landscape of change
East Yorkshire, probably the territory of the Parisi tribe, saw major changes in the 1st century BC / 1st century AD. Square barrow burial may have ceased and there was an influx of coins from the Corieltauvi tribe to the south of the Humber. Wheel thrown pottery came into the region for the first time, similar to vessels from Dragonby in North Lincolnshire.
to the north and west, who had rebelled against Rome. It has been presumed that the Parisi too were at first pro-Roman. We will probably never know why the South Cave Weapons Cache was buried. It may show, along with the building of Roman forts at Hayton, Brough, and possibly at Malton, Stamford Bridge and Buttercrambe, that not all of the Parisi were peacefully inclined. The weapons may have belonged to a war band of some kind.
The cache was placed in a pit cut into a settlement ditch containing Roman style pottery and hidden by pieces of an amphora from Spain. This may show that elements of Roman lifestyle had been adopted. However, that they were hidden at all, suggests that someone may have intended to recover the weapons.
A Dragonby style wheel-thrown pottery bowl from Bursea (Copyright Peter Halkon)
Hayton Roman fort showing as crop marks from the air (Copyright Peter Halkon)
David Freeman demonstrating use of bellows with an iron working furnace, during a workshop at Skidby Windmill
Pottery interactive, The Treasure House (All images on this panel copyright East Riding of Yorkshire Council)
(Copyright ERYC/MOLAS) (Copyright YAT) (Copyright Mick Carr) (Copyright YAT) (Copyright YAT)
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(Copyright YAT)
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(Copyright ERYC/MOLAS)