Early Bronze Age artefacts go on display at museum

A rare collection of artefacts from the Early Bronze Age have gone on display.

The items, including amber beads and a copper dagger found during a dig at Lechlade Memorial Hall in 2017, are available to see at the Corinium Museum in Cirencester, Gloucestershire.

The artefacts were found inside a barrow, a round mound of earth which was used as a grave. The remains of two men were also found in the barrow.

Museum director Emma Stuart said: "It is important that the Bronze Age story and artefacts are shared with our visitors and the wider community to highlight the achievements and practices of early people who once ventured across the Cotswold landscape."

The first man in the barrow was an important figure, who was buried with four sets of cow skulls and hooves, an archery wrist-guard, amber, a copper dagger and flints to light fires.

The museum said ritual offerings were common across Europe at the time, but not in Britain during the Bronze Age, which made the grave significant.

The second male was found with one cow skull, a set of hooves and three flints.

Archaeologist Andrew Hood, from Foundations Archaeology, who led the excavation, said: "These burials were clearly highly significant in the early Bronze Age, and they are testament to the rich and fascinating prehistory within and around Lechlade."

The display was made possible after conservation and a grant from the Pilgrim Trust, the Julian Rausing Trust and the Association for Independent Museums (AIM).

Fiona Woolley, from AIM, said: "This project stood out for its rich story and connection to the local area."

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