London: British Museum, Hoards

 One thing that is very interesting in the British Museum is the number of exhibits on Hoards. Hoards are what the British call finds of artifacts that were stashed, usually in the ground, by past generations.

 We don't find that much in the US, but in an area such as the UK that has thousands of years of history, including several conquests by different civilizations, I guess it makes sense that hoards would exist.

 This jewelry was found in the Winchester Hoard. The hoard was discovered by Kevan Halls scattered in a plowed field while he was using a metal detector in 2000, near Winchester, Hampshire.

 These are torcs and they were buried around 75 BC. They are large ornaments made of metal or bronze and worn around the neck. They are often very heavy and need to be flexed to get around the neck. They were probably only used for special occasions, as they are uncomfortable and heavy. The terminals would have pointed forward.

These are reproductions of coins found in the Beaurains Hoard.