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Archaeological investigations near Cirencester in Gloucestershire have revealed the remains of what may have been a major religious, or ‘votive’, centre dating to the late Iron Age (c.100 BC-AD 43).
The first clues to the site’s existence came in 2020, when a metal-detectorist uncovered a hoard of more than 150 silver and bronze coins. The Royal Agricultural University (RAU) subsequently excavated the find site, providing illuminating new context for the discovery and revealing that the hoard had been specifically inserted into a pit that was marked out by a large area of cobbled pavement. These stones were worn flat in places, suggesting that they had been repeatedly trodden on and indicating the long lifespan of the site.
It was not only coins that had been committed to the ground, however. The team discovered multiple bronze and iron spears that had been inserted (often vertically) into the same pit. While some were full size, many others were miniature versions, including examples measuring less than an inch in length (below). Model swords and scabbards, daggers, and shields, all made of bronze, were also found scattered around the central deposit, and in many instances these objects appear to have been deliberately broken, perhaps as part of a ritual offering.
The pavement and pit were themselves surrounded by a series of other, smaller pits that had been cut into the Cotswold limestone and filled with a fine soil that does not appear to be local to the area. The team suggest that these may have been used to plant trees or bushes. As for who had used this site, many of the coins from the hoard feature a distinctive three-tailed horse motif that is believed to have belonged to the Dobunni people, whose capital at Bagendon lies just a few miles away, and it is possible that this may have been an important ritual or votive place for them.
Professor Mark Horton, the Royal Agricultural University’s Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research, said: ‘This is a major find. We know so little about Iron Age or Celtic religion beyond the literary sources, written by the Classical authors. Here we have direct archaeological evidence of religious practices at the very end of the Iron Age, on the eve of the Roman invasion.’
The Corinium Museum in Cirencester has raised enough money to acquire the hoard, and they are now looking to secure additional funds for conservation and display of the objects: https://coriniummuseum.org/iron-age-coin-hoard-fundraiser.
Text: Kathryn Krakowka / Image: Royal Agricultural University
