Amesbury Archer
2,400 – 2,200 BC
The remains of the ‘Amesbury Archer’ were found during excavations by Wessex Archaeology at Boscombe Down, near Amesbury in May 2002. The find was declared Treasure under the Treasure Act.

Since excavation the burial has attracted national and international interest. It is the most important find from this date in recent years and is possibly the most significant find of its type in the Museum’s collection.

It is the richest Beaker burial from Britain and one of the ‘richest’ in Europe. The presence of five Beaker pots in the grave of one person at this time is unique. It contains the largest single collection of archery equipment so far found from a Beaker grave and the earliest datable copper and gold objects found in this country. Most remarkably, oxygen isotope analysis indicates that this man originally came from somewhere in the Alpine region of Europe.

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