Press Releases

A Bronze Age hoard (Treasure Case 22.49) was discovered by three finders on Friday 7 October 2022, while-metal detecting on a field under pasture in Portskewett Community, Monmouthshire. Containing 57 objects, it’s the largest known hoard of Late Bronze Age date from Monmouthshire. It includes numerous fragments of weapons, including swords and spearheads, as well as complete and broken socketed axes, casting jets, and ingots. The hoard is interesting by virtue of its strong weapon component, generally rare in the region. It includes an especially unusual example of a spearhead with a barbed blade and lunate shaped blade-openings – the first of its kind to be known from Wales.

Chris Griffiths, a PhD researcher with Amgueddfa Cymru – Museum Wales and the University of Reading, said: 

“This hoard is of both regional and national significance. Most hoards from the region are relatively small and rarely contain so many fragments of weapons. The level of expertise and care which went into the creation of the barbed spearhead with lunate shaped blade-openings suggests that it was made by an expert bronze metalworker. It may have served as a symbol of martial authority, but it is unclear whether this spearhead was used by a single leading figure or shared amongst a group of people. It was, after all, buried alongside a wide range of objects which would have been more readily available to people during this time, including the socketed axes. The burying of this hoard may have been a group effort, carried out by a prosperous community who lived in this part of Monmouthshire around 3,000 years ago.”

After the initial discovery, the finders recognised that they had found and responsibly left the remaining objects in the ground. They promptly reported their discovery to staff at National Roman Legion Museum in Caerleon, paving the way for an archaeological investigation of the findspot. With the help of the finders, a small team of staff from Amgueddfa Cymru and Portable Antiquities Scheme Wales (PAS Cymru) carried out a geophysical survey and excavation of the findspot in November 2022. The results of this work revealed that the hoard had been buried within a small pit, dug into an earlier ‘burnt mound’ feature – mounds formed by the discarding of stone and fire-waste, often found within the vicinity of a trough, hearth and a source of freshwater. 

Reflecting on their discovery, the finders of the hoard said:

“We couldn’t believe our luck. We don’t go metal-detecting very often and this was our first trip into this particular field. We knew what we’d found was important so we immediately reported our discovery to staff at National Roman Legion Museum at Caerleon. When the archaeologists were able to carry out their dig, there were so many objects coming out of the ground that we were working well into the evening, long after the sun had gone down.We certainly won’t be forgetting this experience anytime soon.

Monlife Heritage has expressed an interest in entering a joint collaborative partnership with Amgueddfa Cymru to acquire this hoard, after it has been independently valued by the Treasure Valuation Committee.

A decorated gold strip of Bronze Age date (Treasure Case 22.17) was discovered by Richard Bevan on Sunday 27 February 2022, while metal-detecting during a rally on a field under rough pasture in Grosmont Community, Monmouthshire. The find was first reported to Adelle Bricking, Finds Officer for the Portable Antiquities Scheme in Wales (PAS Cymru) and then handed in to Amgueddfa Cymru where the find was identified and reported on for the coroner. 

The artefact fragment, made of sheet gold, has been decorated with a series of parallel ridges and grooves providing a corrugated decoration effect. Once decorating a larger object, such as a dagger hilt, it has been identified as dating to the Early Bronze Age (2150-1650 BC). The copper and silver levels detected within this gold strip are comparable with other gold artefacts of this date. 

Adam Gwilt, Senior Curator of Prehistory at Amgueddfa Cymru, said: 

“This decorated gold strip fragment is an important new discovery. It is one of the earliest gold artefacts known from Wales, made around 4,000 years ago. It probably decorated a larger and highly valued object once worn or owned by a person of high standing in their community. This find from Monmouthshire leads us to wonder whether it may once have been part of an object specially selected for burial in the grave of its owner.”

Amgueddfa Cymru has expressed an interest in acquiring this gold strip for the national collection after it has been independently valued via the Treasure Valuation Committee. 

● A post-medieval silver cufflink (Treasure Case 22.32) was discovered by Wayne Ramsey in April 2022 while metal-detecting in a field under pasture in Panteg Community, Torfaen. The cufflink consists of two circular discs connected by an oval link. Each disc is decorated with a stamped design of a crown above two clasped hands and two flaming hearts. The cufflink is of late seventeenth to early eighteenth-century date. Torfaen Museum have expressed interest in acquiring the cufflink for their collection. 

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