Help save the Oxfordshire Hoard
Help us raise £10,500 to acquire an important Iron Age Hoard. Your support safeguards this special hoard forever.
This is our first ever Crowdfunder campaign and we have chosen this very special hoard to fundraise for. The hoard consists of an Iron Age horse harness fitting with ornate ‘Celtic’ style decoration, a brooch, an enamelled patera handle, Roman coin and a lead weight. All were found in a large ceramic urn and sealed by a quern stone.
These objects offer us a vital insight into the past. In the Iron Age, pre-Roman conquest, horses and the chariots they pulled were an important part of life. The harness and chariot fittings were a way of displaying someone’s wealth, status, and skill in caring for these animals. Burying this hoard may be seen as a way of protecting the owners from the Roman invaders, they could be part of the grave goods of someone who died or heirlooms, and now, to us in 2025, they give us a glimpse of life in the Iron Age.
The Hoard was discovered in the parish of Rotherfield Peppard in August 2020 by a metal detector user and together with archaeologists was excavated. We believe that the hoard was buried in AD 50 to 150 which means it was buried shortly after the Roman invasion.
The Friends of the Oxfordshire Museum is a registered Charity who supports the Oxfordshire Museum through fundraising and financial support for special events, acquisitions and educational programs. The Oxfordshire Museum Service cares for, safeguards and makes accessible the heritage of the county. Our collections are accessible via our displays, loans programme, digital catalogue and by appointment for research.
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