First of its kind wagon evidence uncovered in massive Iron Age treasure trove

Archaeologists have discovered four-wheeled wagons — the first such discovery in Great Britain.

The researchers announced their findings in the journal Antiquity on March 17.

The vehicle remnants were unearthed at an Iron Age site near the village of Melsonby, some 35 miles south of Durham, in Yorkshire, England. 

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Researchers conducted a metal-detecting survey in the area in 2021, leading to an excavation in 2022.

The cache was found during the excavation, though the researchers’ findings were not announced until the paper was recently published.

Dating from 100 B.C. to 40 A.D., the items were discovered less than a mile from Stanwick.

Stanwick, a prominent Iron Age stronghold in northern England, is widely believed to have been a political hub of the Brigantes, a powerful Celtic confederation with a complex relationship with Rome.

The remains of the wagons were found among 950 metal objects, which also included vehicle parts and harness fittings for horses.

The area “is only just beginning to reveal its secrets.”

Archaeologists also found ceremonial vessels and weapons in the cache and — crucially — kingpins, which were used for steering the vehicles.

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The collection also included cylindrical iron bands and U-shaped brackets, which, when pieced together, appear to be hub collars from four-wheeled wagons.

In the article, researchers said the artifacts represented “one of the largest Iron Age metalwork deposits found so far in Britain.”

The hoard also “represents the first potential tangible evidence” of four-wheeled wagons in Britain, the paper added.

“Among the tires was a series of broad, flat iron bars with a central U-shaped bend, described here as brackets,” the paper said. 

“These items are not found on two-wheeled chariots in Britain.”

The wagons would likely have been used by high-status elites in ancient Britain as symbols of wealth — similar to sports cars today.

The researchers wrote that the presence of four-wheeled wagons at Melsonby “would transform our understanding of the forms of wheeled transport and the role of such vehicles in the British Iron Age.

“At the same time, the scale of the Melsonby deposits emphasizes that communities in northern Britain had levels of material wealth comparable to their counterparts elsewhere in Europe,” the paper said.

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Researchers stressed that the conservation and analysis of the parts are “still in the early stages … [F]urther work will significantly augment our understanding of this material; Melsonby is only just beginning to reveal its secrets.”

The hoard is part of a growing number of Iron Age finds continuing to emerge across Britain.

In Scotland, construction workers recently found the remains of Iron Age roundhouses while working on a sewer project.

Archaeologists also discovered a Celtic battle trumpet in Norfolk, possibly tied to the tribe of the legendary Queen Boudica.