A rare and extraordinary collection of Iron Age artifacts has been found by archaeologists.
Named the Melsonby hoard, the discovery consists of over 800 items which were unearthed by metal detectorist Peter Heads.
The artifacts were located in two ditches near the village of Melsonby in North Yorkshire.
After Peter Heads informed the relevant authorities about the discovery, Professor Tom Moore who is the head of archaeology at Durham University, was brought in to examine the site.
Upon examining the site, he quickly realized that the find was extremely rare and significant, describing it as a “once-in-a-lifetime discovery."
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The expert said in a statement, "The Melsonby hoard is of a scale and size that is exceptional for Britain and probably even Europe.”
The statement continued, “Unusually it includes lots of pieces of vehicles and items such as the wine mixing bowl which is decorated in both Mediterranean and Iron Age styles.”
It added, “Whoever originally owned the material in this hoard was probably a part of a network of elites across Britain, into Europe and even the Roman world."
The discovered artifacts which are around 2,000 years old include parts of wagons, ceremonial spears and harnesses used for ponies.
Additionally, archaeologists found iron tires that had been deliberately bent out of shape.
Many of the items had also been intentionally burned or broken as part of a ritual, suggesting they may have been used in religious or ceremonial practices.
The total value of the discovered hoard was estimated at £254,000.
