The Havering Hoard is the largest Bronze Age hoard to have been found in London, and is now available to see at the Museum of London Docklands, in Canary Wharf.
All 453 items from the site are on view, together with other items from the Museum of London, which help place the finds in context.
The objects, which date to around 900BC to 800BC, include axe heads, fragments of swords, axe heads, daggers and knives.
The finds were unusual in being recovered from four individually placed hoards within a large enclosure, marked by a square-shaped ditch. The ditch itself was first discovered by aerial photography in the 1960s of the site which lies on the northern side of the Thames.
Most of the weapons appear to be have been damaged, raising the possibility that the hoard could have been a ritual offering, a recycling centre, or a place for the disposal of weapons that were becoming outmoded with the arrival of iron. The exhibition takes a look at these competing explanations.
‘Havering Hoard: a Bronze Age Mystery’ runs until 18 April 2021. Admission is free with a timed entry ticket available from the Museum of London’s website.
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Ian McDiarmid is a qualified City of London Tour Guide who delivers guided walks and private tours in London. View all of Ian’s walking tours.
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