Celtic chariot burial site: new images of treasures released

Photographs from the site, which was excavated in March and April show the exposed iron remains of the wheels of an Iron Age chariot, and an iron sword found within what would have been the body of the chariot.

The treasures are believed to date from the first century AD, either before or after the Roman conquest of Pembrokeshire.

The iron sword being uncovered at the dig site. PICTURE: National Museum Wales.

Dr Mark Lewis, the senior curator of the archaeology department at the National Museum of Wales, said the finds had proved the site’s great importance.

“It is virtually unique in the south of Britain at the moment,” said Dr Lewis.

“There had been a culture 300 years earlier in Yorkshire and Scotland where they were burying people in chariots, but we cannot really say this burial relates in any direct way to that previous custom which would have been quite ancient by then,” he added.

The burial has been described by Dr Lewis’ colleague Adam Gwilt as being of international importance because of its uniqueness.

Confirmation of the site’s importance comes following an event at the National Museum in Cardiff giving an initial display of the site’s findings.

Dr Lewis added the person buried in the chariot was likely to have been of great importance: a local chieftain or well-respected person.

“This is a major undertaking to bury someone in this way with such costly and expensive grave goods,” he said,

The bones of the buried person have decomposed, as has the body of the chariot, which is believed to have been made of wood.

Pembrokeshire College students have also taken part in excavating the site.

Ajay Cooper (left) and Tom Urack (right) from Pembrokeshire College examining the iron age sword. PICTURE: National Museum Wales.

Among the students who volunteered to take part in the dig were 18-yearold Ajay Cooper and 17-year-old Tom Urack.

Ajay said: “I got involved with the project through my history tutor. I am going to study history and archaeology in Bangor University in September.

“This was brilliant. It has given us an opportunity to be in the field to see the dig. I never expected this situation to come up so close to home,” he added.

Tom said he volunteered for the project after seeing an email advertising it because of his close interest in history.

“My favourite part was when we were given a chance to excavate some of the soil,” he said.

“The media elements were also really interesting to me. I want to pursue a career in the media and it is really interesting to see how the media was used in something like this,” he added.

A display about the discovery, led by the students from Pembrokeshire College, will be on display in the college in November this year, with multi-media elements.

Amgueddfa Cymru hopes to acquire the items for the national collection and display them at St Fagan’s National Museum of History in the future.

The site remains under close protection by Cadw and is being kept secret to prevent theft.

The national museum hopes to raise money to return to it in the future and survey the surrounding landscape to find out if there is more iron age material in the area.

Mike Smith, who discovered the burial site last year. PICTURE: Western Telegraph.

Iron age treasures found by metal detectorist Mike Smith in a Pembrokeshire field in February 2018 led to the discovery of the Celtic chariot burial.

This included brooches and rings which would have fastened a horse’s harness, and which would have once been fixings for a chariot and a pair of ponies.

The enamel decoration on the bronze harness fittings has been described as a distinct regional style and has similarities to items from the Seven Sisters Hoard, which was found in the Neath valley in 1905.

The national museum and Dyfed Archaeological Trust undertook an investigation of the site in June 2018, when they uncovered the tops of the iron chariot tyres.