For Families

A talk by Dr Andrew Fitzpatrick, Head of Communications, Wessex Archaeology.

When metal detector user Peter Hyams discovered a metal bowl at Chiseldon, near Swindon, he did not dig it up. He left it the ground and reported the find to the Portable Antiquities Scheme. But this left Peter and everyone else with a puzzle. How old was the buried find? Opinions about the date varied. Eventually, the only way to find out was to excavate. To everyone’s astonishment there was not just one or even two cauldrons, but a dozen, all made from wafer thin metal. It was the largest hoard of Iron Age cauldrons found, not just in Britain, but in Europe. The Chiseldon cauldrons are a unique find, the remains of a great feast.

This lecture with tell the story of the excavation, assess the significance of the find, and set out what work still lies ahead.

After an on-line ballot, the readers of the magazine Current Archaeology chose the team that recovered the cauldrons as winners of the ‘Rescue Dig of the Year’ prize which was awarded at the Archaeology Festival ’09.

For further details about the find please see the Wessex Archaeology website.

This is a change to the original programme. We apologise for any inconvenience.

A lecture in the Salisbury Museum Archaeology Lectures (SMAL) series. SMAL lectures are held on the second Tuesday of each month from September to April.

image "Excavating the Chiseldon cauldrons" © Wessex Archaeology

Booking:  No booking necessary, payable on the door. 

Cost:   Museum members £2.00; non-Members £3.50; payable on the door