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The Guardian
2 days ago
- Science
- The Guardian
Detectorist's Roman swords find unearths iron age settlement in Gloucestershire
It began with an extraordinary piece of fortune: a metal detectorist on only his second expedition coming upon two very rare cavalry swords on the brink of being lost for ever. A dig by professional archaeologists and volunteers at the spot in Gloucestershire has now found that the swords may have been buried in the grounds of a grand Roman villa built on the site of an iron age settlement. The work has led to the hypothesis that the swords, which go on display at the Corinium Museum, in Cirencester, from 2 August, may have been hidden in a Roman courtyard or garden to stop them falling into the hands of the Saxons as they surged through the region. Peter Busby, a project officer for Cotswold Archaeology, compared the luck of finding the swords and the success of the dig to the 'stars aligning'. He said over the years many detectorists had combed the field near Willersey, close to the border of Gloucestershire and Worcestershire. They were found in 2023 about an inch below the surface. Busby said the swords had been clipped by farm machinery so may have soon been destroyed had they not been discovered. 'It was phenomenally lucky,' he said. 'The swords were within half an inch, no more than an inch, of oblivion.' The weapons were examined at Historic England's science facility at Fort Cumberland, in Portsmouth. One has evidence of decorative pattern welding running down the centre whereas the other is plain. The pattern-welded sword would have been more expensive to produce and therefore of higher status. It is believed the long swords or 'spatha' were used by the Romans on horseback from the early second century to the third century AD. Funded by Historic England and undertaken in partnership with Cotswold Archaeology, the dig took place in driving rain in January. The team found Roman building materials including ceramic roofing, tiles that may have been part of an underfloor heating system, and fragments of painted wall plaster, suggesting a villa from the second or third century. They also found evidence of settlements from hundreds of years before, as well as the remains of a person from the early to middle iron age (800-100BC) who was buried wearing an iron band on their upper right arm, and a horse skull in a nearby pit. Sign up to Headlines UK Get the day's headlines and highlights emailed direct to you every morning after newsletter promotion Busby said the work was gruelling but the brilliance of the discoveries kept everyone going. 'This is the bee's knees. It captured the imagination of the volunteers and professional archaeologists alike. Working on site on grim, dank, dark January days didn't faze anybody because of the excitement.' Once Historic England has the final report on the archaeological work, it will consider whether to recommend to the UK government that the site be protected as a scheduled monument. More work will be needed to confirm the presence of the villa and to try to understand its links with the iron age settlement and why the swords ended up there. Ian Barnes, a senior archaeologist at Historic England, said the findings revealed more about what must have been a tumultuous time. 'This excavation provides valuable insights into the nature of settlement patterns from the early iron age through to the Roman period in Gloucestershire.' The metal detectorist Glenn Manning said: 'Finding two swords in the same spot was amazing. The morning before the rally, I had a feeling I would find something special.'
Glasgow Times
2 days ago
- General
- Glasgow Times
Iron Age Roman settlement uncovered after rare sword find
The excavation near a Cotswolds village has revealed what could be evidence of a Roman villa. The dig follows the discovery of two iron Roman cavalry swords, possibly displaying traces of their scabbards, during a metal detecting rally near Willersey two years ago. Sue Clemmitt holds the finger bones from a separated human arm which had been found (Cotswold Archaeology/PA) The swords, which were found by metal detectorist Glenn Manning, were later donated to the Corinium Museum in Cirencester. Mr Manning said: 'Finding two swords in the same spot was amazing. 'The morning before the rally, I had a feeling I would find something special. 'This was only my second time metal detecting. I'm excited to find out more about them.' Historic England then conducted geophysical surveys of the area where the swords were found, which revealed the possibility of extensive prehistoric, and Romano-British remains. Excavations earlier this year found evidence of settlements spanning several centuries. These include three or four Iron Age ring ditches, a substantial rectangular enclosure, and remains of Roman limestone buildings, which could be a winged villa. More archaeological work is required, and Historic England could then recommend to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) that the site be protected as a scheduled monument. Peter Busby with the two swords (James Harris/PA) It is believed the long swords or 'spatha' were used by the Romans on horseback from early in the second century AD through to the third century AD. They are contemporary with the villa, but it is not known how they came to be there. Ian Barnes, senior archaeologist at Historic England, said: 'This excavation provides valuable insights into the nature of settlement patterns from the Early Iron Age through to the Roman period in Gloucestershire. 'This new evidence will help us to understand more about what happened around the period of the Roman Conquest, which must have been a tumultuous time.' Peter Busby, from Cotswold Archaeology, said: 'I am very proud of how much our team of volunteers, professional archaeologists, and metal detectorists achieved in 15 days, despite the heavy January rain. 'We turned a ploughed field, the swords, and geophysical anomalies into the story of a settlement spanning hundreds of years – the first stage in telling the history of these fields and their cavalry swords.' Probable Roman pottery excavated by Historic England staff (Cotswold Archaeology/PA) Emma Stuart, director of the Corinium Museum, added: 'It's a privilege to acquire such rare artefacts. 'This valuable addition of Roman weaponry at the museum broadens the story of life in the Cotswolds during the mid to late Roman period. 'Wiltshire Conservation has identified the scabbard remnants and this adds another dimension to this discovery.' The swords will be on display for public viewing at the Corinium Museum from August 2.
South Wales Argus
2 days ago
- General
- South Wales Argus
Iron Age Roman settlement uncovered after rare sword find
The excavation near a Cotswolds village has revealed what could be evidence of a Roman villa. The dig follows the discovery of two iron Roman cavalry swords, possibly displaying traces of their scabbards, during a metal detecting rally near Willersey two years ago. Sue Clemmitt holds the finger bones from a separated human arm which had been found (Cotswold Archaeology/PA) The swords, which were found by metal detectorist Glenn Manning, were later donated to the Corinium Museum in Cirencester. Mr Manning said: 'Finding two swords in the same spot was amazing. 'The morning before the rally, I had a feeling I would find something special. 'This was only my second time metal detecting. I'm excited to find out more about them.' Historic England then conducted geophysical surveys of the area where the swords were found, which revealed the possibility of extensive prehistoric, and Romano-British remains. Excavations earlier this year found evidence of settlements spanning several centuries. These include three or four Iron Age ring ditches, a substantial rectangular enclosure, and remains of Roman limestone buildings, which could be a winged villa. More archaeological work is required, and Historic England could then recommend to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) that the site be protected as a scheduled monument. Peter Busby with the two swords (James Harris/PA) It is believed the long swords or 'spatha' were used by the Romans on horseback from early in the second century AD through to the third century AD. They are contemporary with the villa, but it is not known how they came to be there. Ian Barnes, senior archaeologist at Historic England, said: 'This excavation provides valuable insights into the nature of settlement patterns from the Early Iron Age through to the Roman period in Gloucestershire. 'This new evidence will help us to understand more about what happened around the period of the Roman Conquest, which must have been a tumultuous time.' Peter Busby, from Cotswold Archaeology, said: 'I am very proud of how much our team of volunteers, professional archaeologists, and metal detectorists achieved in 15 days, despite the heavy January rain. 'We turned a ploughed field, the swords, and geophysical anomalies into the story of a settlement spanning hundreds of years – the first stage in telling the history of these fields and their cavalry swords.' Probable Roman pottery excavated by Historic England staff (Cotswold Archaeology/PA) Emma Stuart, director of the Corinium Museum, added: 'It's a privilege to acquire such rare artefacts. 'This valuable addition of Roman weaponry at the museum broadens the story of life in the Cotswolds during the mid to late Roman period. 'Wiltshire Conservation has identified the scabbard remnants and this adds another dimension to this discovery.' The swords will be on display for public viewing at the Corinium Museum from August 2.
The Herald Scotland
2 days ago
- Science
- The Herald Scotland
Iron Age Roman settlement uncovered after rare sword find
The dig follows the discovery of two iron Roman cavalry swords, possibly displaying traces of their scabbards, during a metal detecting rally near Willersey two years ago. Sue Clemmitt holds the finger bones from a separated human arm which had been found (Cotswold Archaeology/PA) The swords, which were found by metal detectorist Glenn Manning, were later donated to the Corinium Museum in Cirencester. Mr Manning said: 'Finding two swords in the same spot was amazing. 'The morning before the rally, I had a feeling I would find something special. 'This was only my second time metal detecting. I'm excited to find out more about them.' Historic England then conducted geophysical surveys of the area where the swords were found, which revealed the possibility of extensive prehistoric, and Romano-British remains. Excavations earlier this year found evidence of settlements spanning several centuries. These include three or four Iron Age ring ditches, a substantial rectangular enclosure, and remains of Roman limestone buildings, which could be a winged villa. More archaeological work is required, and Historic England could then recommend to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) that the site be protected as a scheduled monument. Peter Busby with the two swords (James Harris/PA) It is believed the long swords or 'spatha' were used by the Romans on horseback from early in the second century AD through to the third century AD. They are contemporary with the villa, but it is not known how they came to be there. Ian Barnes, senior archaeologist at Historic England, said: 'This excavation provides valuable insights into the nature of settlement patterns from the Early Iron Age through to the Roman period in Gloucestershire. 'This new evidence will help us to understand more about what happened around the period of the Roman Conquest, which must have been a tumultuous time.' Peter Busby, from Cotswold Archaeology, said: 'I am very proud of how much our team of volunteers, professional archaeologists, and metal detectorists achieved in 15 days, despite the heavy January rain. 'We turned a ploughed field, the swords, and geophysical anomalies into the story of a settlement spanning hundreds of years – the first stage in telling the history of these fields and their cavalry swords.' Probable Roman pottery excavated by Historic England staff (Cotswold Archaeology/PA) Emma Stuart, director of the Corinium Museum, added: 'It's a privilege to acquire such rare artefacts. 'This valuable addition of Roman weaponry at the museum broadens the story of life in the Cotswolds during the mid to late Roman period. 'Wiltshire Conservation has identified the scabbard remnants and this adds another dimension to this discovery.' The swords will be on display for public viewing at the Corinium Museum from August 2.
Western Telegraph
2 days ago
- General
- Western Telegraph
Iron Age Roman settlement uncovered after rare sword find
The excavation near a Cotswolds village has revealed what could be evidence of a Roman villa. The dig follows the discovery of two iron Roman cavalry swords, possibly displaying traces of their scabbards, during a metal detecting rally near Willersey two years ago. Sue Clemmitt holds the finger bones from a separated human arm which had been found (Cotswold Archaeology/PA) The swords, which were found by metal detectorist Glenn Manning, were later donated to the Corinium Museum in Cirencester. Mr Manning said: 'Finding two swords in the same spot was amazing. 'The morning before the rally, I had a feeling I would find something special. 'This was only my second time metal detecting. I'm excited to find out more about them.' Historic England then conducted geophysical surveys of the area where the swords were found, which revealed the possibility of extensive prehistoric, and Romano-British remains. Excavations earlier this year found evidence of settlements spanning several centuries. These include three or four Iron Age ring ditches, a substantial rectangular enclosure, and remains of Roman limestone buildings, which could be a winged villa. More archaeological work is required, and Historic England could then recommend to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) that the site be protected as a scheduled monument. Peter Busby with the two swords (James Harris/PA) It is believed the long swords or 'spatha' were used by the Romans on horseback from early in the second century AD through to the third century AD. They are contemporary with the villa, but it is not known how they came to be there. Ian Barnes, senior archaeologist at Historic England, said: 'This excavation provides valuable insights into the nature of settlement patterns from the Early Iron Age through to the Roman period in Gloucestershire. 'This new evidence will help us to understand more about what happened around the period of the Roman Conquest, which must have been a tumultuous time.' Peter Busby, from Cotswold Archaeology, said: 'I am very proud of how much our team of volunteers, professional archaeologists, and metal detectorists achieved in 15 days, despite the heavy January rain. 'We turned a ploughed field, the swords, and geophysical anomalies into the story of a settlement spanning hundreds of years – the first stage in telling the history of these fields and their cavalry swords.' Probable Roman pottery excavated by Historic England staff (Cotswold Archaeology/PA) Emma Stuart, director of the Corinium Museum, added: 'It's a privilege to acquire such rare artefacts. 'This valuable addition of Roman weaponry at the museum broadens the story of life in the Cotswolds during the mid to late Roman period. 'Wiltshire Conservation has identified the scabbard remnants and this adds another dimension to this discovery.' The swords will be on display for public viewing at the Corinium Museum from August 2.
