On this day...16th August
Back to the Boneyard and that famous year 2003 for the first of today’s photos. Just a few short days after the discovery of the cow bone containing Iron Age gold coins came another surprise. Just when we thought we had actually almost finished for the season a horse burial was unearthed.
Later analysis of the bones revealed ‘Pegasus’ had been a healthy stallion of about 8 years of age who had lived during the Late Iron Age. He had died from a hard blow to the skull and is believed to have been a ritual sacrifice. Horses were of high value at this time, even symbols of power perhaps, so this would have represented a significant offering. After death he was buried in a river’s edge sanctuary in the land of the Iceni.
Our final photo was taken in 2018. Not everyone was there for the shot but most of us were. We very much hope you have enjoyed our trip down memory lane. All that’s left to say is
FROM ALL OF US AT SHARP ‘STAY SAFE’. SEE YOU NEXT YEAR!
I remember coming to help with the "shut down" the first day after the season ended and was surprised to see a young woman excavating the horse skeleton. "What are you doing?" I asked, "I thought we had finished". "I found it on Friday" she said - if I remember right - "and they said I should complete it". I asked her what she did when she was not at SHARP - "I have just done my GCSEs" she said!!!
Thank you - this was a highlight of my six seasons in Sedgeford.
You will have noticed that each of the 33 gold "coins" had a representation of a horse stamped on one side. But they were not coins but money transfers of I recall of a shade over 6 grammes each as noone would have circulated a coin which could be shaved with impunity