Archaeologists Uncover Bronze Remains of Ancient Iron Age Chariot

Archaeologists have made a startling discovery. They've discovered the decorated bronze remains of an Iron Age chariot in the United Kingdom, revealing a bit more about the region's ancient past.

The researchers first unearthed the remains as part of their ongoing excavation of the Burrough Hill Iron Age hillfort in Leicestershire. Archaeologists have been working there since 2010 and while digging a large, deep pit near the remains of a house within the hillfort, they unearthed a piece of bronze which then led to further discoveries.

"Realizing that I was actually uncovering a hoard that was carefully placed there hundreds of years ago made it the find of a lifetime," said Nora Battermann, a student archaeologist who helped make the discovery, in a news release. "Looking at the objects now they have been cleaned makes me even more proud, and I can't wait for them to go on display."

The bronze pieces appear to have been gathered in a box before being planted in the ground upon a layer of cereal chaff and then burned as part of a religious ritual. After the burning, the entire deposit was covered by a layer of burnt cinder and slag.

"This is a matching set of highly-decorated bronze fittings from an Iron Age chariot-probably from the 2^nd or 3^rd century BC," said Jeremy Taylor, co-director of the Burrough Hill field project. "This is the most remarkable discovery of material we made at Burrough Hill in the five years we worked on the site. 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"

The findings have currently been taken to the University of Leicester's School of Archaeology and Ancient History for further analysis. It's likely, though, that the pieces probably once belonged to a high-status individual, such as a "noble" or "warrior."