Morecambe Hoard
A small collection of bronze artefacts that are around 3,000 years old were discovered on a burial mound overlooking Morceambe Bay. For now, its exact location remains undisclosed, as it is part of an ongoing treasure case.
The metal detectorists who found it reported their discovery to the Portable Antiquities Scheme, an initiative lead by the British Museum to encourage self-reporting of archaeological finds in England and Wales. This led to an initial investigation by the University of Central Lancashire.By this stage, it had become clear clear that the site where the hoard had been found was actually a Bronze Age burial mound. DigVentures was invited to crowdfund and run the first large-scale excavation of the site in 2016.
The excavation area
The excavation covered an x-shaped area, in order to find the full extent of the mound and any architectural features delineating its edges. The evidence from this excavation produced fragments of cremated bone, as well as an entire cremation urn, known as the Morecambe Urn.
Leaf-Shaped Razor
Late Bronze Age
Bronze Ring
Late Bronze Age
Flint
Late Bronze Age
Leaf-Shaped Razor Late Bronze Age
This leaf-shaped razor has an undecorated double-edged blade. The tang is incomplete, and the edges of blade itself are damaged.
Bronze Ring Late Bronze Age
Bronze rings are commonly found in Bronze Age hoards, and they are often identified as parts of a horse harness or other horse fittings, but there is still some debate over what they were actually used for. This example has both scratches and worn spots which does suggest it was heavily used, and was not just decorative.
Flint Late Bronze Age
Flint is a very hard stone used throughout human history from cutting tools to building materials to parts of firearms, and people did not stop using them when they discovered metal. These flints include both stone tools and some of the waste from producing them.
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