Rare Iron Age war trumpet and boar standard found

Summary

Rare Iron Age war trumpet and boar standard foundBBC/Rare TVThe discovery of a carnyx (above) and a boar's head flag standard in the same hoard has been described as "a discovery of a lifetime" by archaeologistsArchaeologists have been stunned to discover two of the rarest Iron Age objects in the same excavation.The team from Pre-Construct Archaeology was working on a building site a few miles from Thetford, Norfolk, when they came across the hoard last year.At its heart was the most complete battle trumpet, or carnyx, ever found in Europe - and the first-ever boar's head flag standard to be found in Britain.Senior project officer Gary Trimble told BBC Two's Digging for Britain, carnyces "are extraordinarily rare... a boar standard, that's even rarer". Norfolk Museums ServiceThe carnyx has "a wonderful little eye, which is a remarkable survivor and you can't help but be impressed and charmed by it", said conservator Jonathan Carr"We have our fair share of hoards in Norfolk, but this is so, so different - it is really, really special," he added. Dig leader Peter Crawley said he had a gut feeling about the site before the excavation began."It felt like one of those special sites that you do get every so often," he said. BBC/Rare TVMusician Letty Stott plays a replica of a carnyx to Fraser Hunter, presenter Alice Roberts and Gary Trimble during filming for Digging for BritainA war trumpet was used by Celtic tribes across Europe to intimidate their enemies and to inspire and direct warriors during battle.They included the Iceni tribe of East Anglia, which was led by queen Boudica in her failed uprising against the Romans in AD60 to 61. Carnyces fascinated the Romans, who frequently depicted them as war trophies.Norfolk Museums ServiceCarr said he was aware of the risks as he painstakingly removed the brittle finds from their block of soil Conservator Jonathan Carr said the Thetford find was made "from extremely thin sheets of metal which have become extremely brittle af...