Archaeologists have uncovered a hoard of 453 ancient Bronze Age weapons in the outskirts of London.
The trove is the largest ever to have been discovered in London and the third-largest in the UK, according to heritage organisation Historic England...
Hoard of ancient Bronze Age weapons is unearthed near the River Thames - giving 'extraordinary' glimpse of life in Britain more than 1,000 years ago
Hoard of 453 ancient Bronze Age weapons found to the north of River Thames
The items, which date from around 900-800BC, were pieced together in a ditch
All of the weapons, which included sword fragments, were partially broken
By ISABELLA NIKOLIC FOR MAILONLINE
26 October 2019
Archaeologists have uncovered a hoard of 453 ancient Bronze Age weapons in the outskirts of London.
The trove is the largest ever to have been discovered in London and the third-largest in the UK, according to heritage organisation Historic England.
The items, which date from around 900 to 800 BC, were pieced together from separate collections in a large ditch but are usually found in isolation.
Archaeologists have uncovered a hoard of 453 ancient Bronze Age weapons in the outskirts of London
They were found in an enclosure on the northern edge of the River Thames.
The trove is the largest ever to have been discovered in London and the third-largest in the UK, according to heritage organisation Historic England
All of the weapons, which included sword fragments, were partially broken.
'The deliberate placement of these items may suggest a specialist metal worker operated in this area, and this large scale deposit of bronze may represent an accumulation of material akin to a vault, recycling bank or exchange,' explained Historic England in its statement.
'Could this treasure have been a religious offering, were they hoping to recycle the metal, control access to the material, or was it merely a rejection of bronze tools that were becoming outdated with the emergence of iron technology?'
Dubbed 'the Havering Hoard' after the area where the ancient objects were found, the items will go on display at the Museum of London Docklands in April 2020.
The discoveries were made by archaeological contractor Archaeological Solutions ahead of a large quarrying project.
All of the weapons, which included sword fragments, were partially broken
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar...-Age-weapons-unearthed-near-River-Thames.html
The trove is the largest ever to have been discovered in London and the third-largest in the UK, according to heritage organisation Historic England...
Hoard of ancient Bronze Age weapons is unearthed near the River Thames - giving 'extraordinary' glimpse of life in Britain more than 1,000 years ago
Hoard of 453 ancient Bronze Age weapons found to the north of River Thames
The items, which date from around 900-800BC, were pieced together in a ditch
All of the weapons, which included sword fragments, were partially broken
By ISABELLA NIKOLIC FOR MAILONLINE
26 October 2019
Archaeologists have uncovered a hoard of 453 ancient Bronze Age weapons in the outskirts of London.
The trove is the largest ever to have been discovered in London and the third-largest in the UK, according to heritage organisation Historic England.
The items, which date from around 900 to 800 BC, were pieced together from separate collections in a large ditch but are usually found in isolation.
Archaeologists have uncovered a hoard of 453 ancient Bronze Age weapons in the outskirts of London
They were found in an enclosure on the northern edge of the River Thames.
The trove is the largest ever to have been discovered in London and the third-largest in the UK, according to heritage organisation Historic England
All of the weapons, which included sword fragments, were partially broken.
'The deliberate placement of these items may suggest a specialist metal worker operated in this area, and this large scale deposit of bronze may represent an accumulation of material akin to a vault, recycling bank or exchange,' explained Historic England in its statement.
'Could this treasure have been a religious offering, were they hoping to recycle the metal, control access to the material, or was it merely a rejection of bronze tools that were becoming outdated with the emergence of iron technology?'
Dubbed 'the Havering Hoard' after the area where the ancient objects were found, the items will go on display at the Museum of London Docklands in April 2020.
The discoveries were made by archaeological contractor Archaeological Solutions ahead of a large quarrying project.
All of the weapons, which included sword fragments, were partially broken
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar...-Age-weapons-unearthed-near-River-Thames.html