Bronze instrument or carnyx dug up in Norfolk in area inhabited by Celtic tribe led by warrior who fought Romans
An “extraordinary” iron age war trumpet that may have links to the Celtic tribe led by Boudicca in the period they were battling the invading Roman army has been discovered by archaeologists in Norfolk.
The bronze trumpet or carnyx is only the third ever found in Britain, and the most complete example discovered anywhere in the world. Fashioned in the shape of a snarling wild animal, the object would have been mounted on a long mouthpiece high above the heads of warriors, allowing it to be sounded to intimidate the enemy in battle.
It was found last summer, during excavations ahead of a new housing development in west Norfolk, among a collection of iron age military objects, which also included a bronze boar’s head battle standard – a unique find in Britain – and five shield bosses.
Tantalisingly, the area where the hoard was discovered falls within the territory of the Iceni, the British tribe that in AD 60 staged a fierce but ultimately doomed rebellion led by Boudicca against the Roman army. Archaeologists believe the hoard was buried at some point in the first century AD.
