Bronze remains of Iron Age chariot discovered

Archaeologists in the UK have discovered decorated bronze remains of an Iron Age chariot.
A team from the University of Leicester's School of Archaeology and Ancient History has unearthed a hoard of rare bronze fittings from a 2nd or 3rd century BC chariot which appears to have been buried as a religious offering.
The archaeologists found the remains during an ongoing excavation of the Burrough Hill Iron Age hillfort, near Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire.
While digging a large, deep pit near the remains of a house within the hillfort, a group of four students found a piece of bronze in the ground - before uncovering a concentration of further parts nearby.

Taken together, the pieces are easily recognisable as a matching set of bronze fittings from a mid to late Iron Age chariot.
After careful cleaning, decorative patterns were clearly visible in the metalwork - including a triskele motif showing three waving lines, similar to the flag of the Isle of Man.

The pieces appear to have been gathered in a box, before being planted in the ground upon a layer of cereal chaff and burnt as part of a religious ritual.
The chaff might have doubled as a "cushion" for the box and also the fuel for the fire.
After the burning, the entire deposit was covered by a layer of burnt cinder and slag - where it lay undisturbed for more than 2,200 years until the team uncovered it.

The archaeologists believe the chariot would have belonged to a high-status individual, such as a 'noble' or 'warrior'.
The team believes the burial may have taken place to mark a new season, or the final closure or dismantling of a house at the fort.
"This is the most remarkable discovery of material we made at Burrough Hill in the five years we worked on the site," said Dr 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.
"This is a very rare discovery, and a strong sign of the prestige of the site. 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," Taylor said.
The parts have been taken to the University of Leicester's School of Archaeology and Ancient History for further analysis.