IN THE SPOTLIGHT

An ancient Celtic "gure found underground

In summer 2018, work began at the National Trust’s Wimpole Estate in Cambridgeshire to investigate and prepare a large area of land for a new visitor centre and car park. During the dig, National Trust archaeologists and colleagues from Oxford Archaeology East were thrilled to reveal a late Iron Age to early Roman rural se!lement. It’s believed that this se!lement was at the centre of a major trading network, as coins, po!ery, brooches, metal objects, Roman military uniform "!ings and weapons were amongst the objects found. One of the most exciting discoveries, however, was a tiny 5cm-high "gure of a deity.

‘ This "gure is an exceptional "nd and, thanks to careful conservation and cleaning, we can now see some remarkable detail,’ says Shannon Hogan, National Trust Archaeologist for the East of England. ‘ The artefact dates to the 1st century AD, and whilst possibly of Roman manufacture, exhibits very Celtic traits such as his oval eyes. We have extremely limited knowledge of what ordinary people of England at that time looked like, so this beautifully detailed "gure might just be giving us a tantalising glimpse into their appearance, or how they imagined their gods.’

The li!le deity may originally have been used as a spatula handle and is a reminder of the intertwining of Celtic and Roman religions during the Roman occupation of Britain.

For more information, visit nationaltrust.org.uk/wimpole-estate