#danebury

[thesilicontribesman]

Danebury Iron Age Hillfort, Hampshire

[blueiscoool]

Gold Coin Reveals Unknown British King

New light has been shed on a little-known part of British history thanks to the extraordinary discovery of a coin bearing the name of a forgotten Iron Age ruler in Hampshire, south-east England.

The coin, which has the inscription “Esunertos,” was discovered by a metal detectorist in a field in Hampshire. Esunertos may have ruled as a king from the powerful Danebury Fort, according to experts’ speculation, and this find has been hailed as “one of the outstanding discoveries of recent decades.”

Leading Iron Age experts have studied the coin and deduced it to be struck by a pre-eminent male figure dubbed ‘IISVNIRTOS’ whose name translates as ‘Mighty as the God Esos’.

The coin was struck sometime between 50 and 30 BC, shortly after Julius Caesar’s first Roman raid of Britain in 55 BC.

The coin, which is thought to have been produced between 50 and 30 BC, was struck in conjunction with Julius Caesar’s first Roman raid on Britain in 55 BC when the Roman general and his 20,000 soldiers landed on the Kent coast. Despite a confrontation with Celtic warriors on the beach, the Romans encountered difficulties landing due to rough seas and eventually had to return home.

Gregory Edmund, Iron Age Coin Specialist at Spink Auctioneers said: “This fabulous piece of prehistoric artwork completes the mental image we have when we think of Iron Age Britain – the war horse and chariot.

“But it also surprises us with the appearance of classical languages like Latin.

Dr John Sills of the Celtic Coin Index at the Ashmolean Museum said: ‘It is one of the outstanding discoveries of recent decades in Celtic numismatics.’

Initially, it was anticipated that the gold coin would sell for around £4,000 ($5000) at auction. But contrary to all expectations, it broke a record at Spinks Auction by selling for an astounding £20,400 ($25,500).

The coin was found by Lewis Fudge, a metal detectorist who received permission to search a farmer’s field in March this year. Lewis Fudge expressed his elation, stating:

“I am over the moon. If it were not for people in the auction room, I would have jumped around. The collectors I spoke to are gobsmacked. I’m so glad I did not take them up on their private offers before the auction. To think my find has generated its own Wikipedia page is incredible.”

Spink Auctions describe the coin as a quarter slater with the obverse side of the coin bearing the name Esunertos in Latin, and with the worn head of Apollo formed of three interlocking rows of outward facing crescents, a seven-spoked wheel at center in lieu of the ear, and an eye of visage with radiating spike towards the neckline.

The reverse of the coin has a tripled-tailed horse, with a pincer-like mandible for face and linear ear, with pelleted mane, yoke or bucranium above the head, an 8-spoked wheel above spearing into the horse’s back, and double or triple ringed annulet below.

By Leman Altuntaş.

[butserancientfarm]

progress on our latest iron age roundhouse!

this is a really cool and unusual build based on a structure at the iron age danebury hillfort, and our experimentation has been getting us very familiar with wattle, postholes, and 👻 ghostholes 👻

danebury hillfort is a great site, and we've got some lovely archaeology to work from on this build. look how beautifully clear and circular it is! but it's got some quirks that are proving a little tough to build and interpret...

those little round beans are the stave holes -- ie, the uprights in a wattle and daub wall. they're super clear, but they're also much closer together than usual. we're discovering that with this spacing it's actually really hard to get a wattle weave through them

the other interesting thing about the archaeology is that there aren't regular postholes. we wondered if that might mean the wattle would support a roof on its own as it's a tighter weave, but that doesn't look likely after all...

so, posts! we're using scots pine to create an inner ring of posts and rafters, handmade using augers and axes and fitted together with oak dowels. but there's only evidence for about 50% of these posts in the archaeology. so what does that mean for our build?

well, not all posts leave clear archaeology behind, and not all postholes are always found. if a post wasn't driven deep enough into the ground, it might never show up in the archaeology.

we've been calling these 'ghostholes' -- places where we can surmise there might have been a post from the pattern of the rest of the archaeology (and our experimentation), but where there isn't any physical evidence of one

with that in mind, we've chosen to interpret this building as having a full ring of posts by extrapolating from the postholes that *are* in the archaeology. but that's just one explanation -- this building might have supported a roof on its wattle after all, and just used a different technique to achieve that. or maybe it didn't have a roof at all!

this is what experimental archaeology is all about! we'll let you know how this experiment goes 😊

[merinsedai]

If I could write, I would.

Oh hey, I’ve never written on this blog and it’s almost a decade old. 👋🏻

so it’s 1:45am and I can’t sleep because I’m thinking- you know what, a Sandman/Detectorists crossover fic would be amazing- cute and gentle. If you’ve not seen The Detectorists (Mackenzie Crook and Toby Jones show) off you go and treat yourself- it is all things good.

Anyway, so Hob’s got money stashed all over the place, probably in banks and offshore accounts, sure, but also PROBABLY he’s secreted caches in random places around the country. Got to be prepared for every eventuality after all. AND there’s hoards all over the place in the U.K., seemingly. We’re not talking on a par with the Staffordshire hoard or that one discovered in Norfolk last year, but it’s not a paltry sum that Hob’s got buried, and for some reason, he really needs it, or something from it, now.

So I figure this treasure is somewhere in the Danebury vicinity, except Hob doesn’t remember precisely *where*. It’s been a good few centuries: memories fade and landscapes change. So he joins the DMDC, because how else does one find buried treasure than by metal detecting?

as far as plot goes, that’s it (this is why I’m not a writer 😂). I just want to provide the opportunity for Hob to introduce himself and for Terry to say “Hob… Hob. An appropriately medieval moniker.” In a genially approving manner. And for Hob to go for pints at the Two Brewers with Lance and Andy. And for Dream to overhear Lance’s little speech to Andy re-what a Detectorist is: “See, archaeologists, they gather up the facts, piece the jigsaw together, work out how we lived and find the buildings we lived in, but what we do is... that's different. We unearth the scattered memories, mine for stories, fill in the personality. Detectorists. We're time travellers.” And to raise an eyebrow in mild approval. I don’t know why Dream’s there, that’s for someone else to figure out.

And that magpie that goes around stealing the treasure? That’s 100% Matthew’s role in all this.

I would call it something from the lyrics of Johnny Flynn’s theme song, and pepper it with expansive descriptions of the bucolic beauty of Essex in the late summer.

since I’ve gotten that off my chest, maybe I can sleep now?

[scottums]

Sometimes people try to photograph Hookland’s White Tower as it supposedly shifts location. The quality of this example is quite poor despite the photographer being a professional. Didn’t stop author Brian Danebury using it in one of his books. #hookland https://www.instagram.com/p/CinHss6Lzzk/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[thisisengland]

Danebury Iron Age Hillfort, Hampshire.

[ritualpurposes]

What I imagine happens on Iron Age sites*

Archaeologist 1 - “Ok, so we found this pit, seems to be a disused grain storage pit that has been repurposed-”

Archaeologist 2- “FOR A FERTILITY CULT”

Archaeologist 1 - “Well I suppose those animal bones could be sacrifices. Right well we also have these postholes forming a structure I think it might be for -”

Archaeologist 2 - “ A FERTILITY CULT”

Archaeologist 1 - “I guess it does kinda look like Romano-British temples if you squint. Right so what about this -” Archaeologist 2 - “FERTILITY CULT” Archaeologist 1 - “You didn’t let me finish” Archaeologist 2 - “Ya but lets be honest. Its always a fertility thing” *I have dug Iron Age sites, I’m just also grumpily reaping the rewards of doing a PhD on Iron Age ‘ritual’ deposition. NOT EVERY THING IS FERTILITY, LOOKING AT YOU CUNLIFFE 

[colemandesignblog]

Detectorists | Danebury Postcards

www.colemandesign.co.uk/shop

[mostly-history]

Pits containing disarticulated skeletons at the Iron Age hill fort of Danebury (Hampshire), and one of the few complete skeletons found at the site.  The remains of at least 300 individuals have been found here, but only 40 skeletons are complete.

Most of the bodies found at Danebury were buried or partially exposed in deep grain-storage pits, and some of the decomposing body parts were later dug up.  Others were buried and exhumed about a decade later, and some of their bones removed, perhaps as ancestral relics. The burials were close to the settlement where people lived.

[thesilicontribesman]

Danebury Iron Age Hillfort, Hampshire

[hobis-hope94]

I’m home from a very lovely weekend away. Haven’t been on my phone as much which was a nice little change. But also, today I went to where they filmed one of my favourite tv series and saw one of the landmarks from it:

the tv series is called Detectorists and honestly when I explain it it sounds so boring but it’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever watched.

It follows the story of two good friends, Andy and Lance, and they go about metal detecting, hoping to find gold.

It’s the most loveliest series ever. When the whole pandemic started, I was feeling low and scared, my mum suggested I rewatched Detectorists, and honestly I’m so glad I did because that little three series show put me in a better frame of mind. It’s a comfort to me this show, so being where they filmed it meant a lot.

this village hall is belongs to (in the series) Danebury Metal Detecting Club (DMDC).

[whatinoblivion]

Storm coming in from the East by Christina Marsh Via Flickr: Danebury Ring, Iron Age Hillfort.

[fauxwatercolor]

[raedear]

An age ago I wrote a TOG/The Detectorists crossover to make @werebearbearbar laugh and then promptly forgot about it.

I found it again, so here it is for the tiny sliver of the venn diagram where those two interests cross over (hi friends)

Waiting For You

‘We have some very exciting developments tonight, ladies and gentlemen,’ Terry says, puffed up larger in the chest than ever with delighted self-importance. Andy privately thinks he looks like a penguin in his getup, but Lance is too far away to make the comparison without being overheard. He’ll tell him later. ‘Not only do we have guests in attendance, we have guests from abroad.’

He says abroad with all the excitement of a holiday camp emcee, and Sheila applauds quietly from her chair, beaming around the room. The promised guests clump together somewhat-uncomfortably in the middle of the room, most of them sneaking glances at the severe-looking woman sitting smack in the middle. She’s watching Terry like the polar bear to his penguin, and Andy sits up straighter, curious now about what exactly has brought four complete strangers to their village hall on an otherwise unassuming Tuesday night. 

‘We received an electronic mail,’ continues Terry, rocking back on his heels. If he had braces, he’d have his thumbs in them, Andy can just see it. ‘From Andromache here—’ he gestures at the severe-looking woman. He pronounces her name Ann-dro-mackie. Her face doesn’t move, but her companions look pained. The man with the beard rubs at his eyes like he has a headache. ‘—explaining she has something she wishes to discuss with us, and would we permit her to address the Club.’ Terry smiles beatifically at her. She smiles back. Andy doesn’t think his original impression of polar-bear-on-the-hunt was particularly far off. 

‘Of course,’ continues Terry, utterly unperturbed. ‘How could I say no to such a request? I informed her, confident in my knowledge of our members, that we would be delighted to host her.’

Sheila nods like a bobble-head, providing all the delight otherwise absent from the collected members of the Danebury Metal Detecting Club. 

The man with the big nose and the mole beside Andromache leans in and whispers to her, looking slightly frantic. From what little Andy catches of what he says, it isn’t in English. Andromache rolls her eyes at him, and pats his hand condescendingly. She says something back, also not in English, but also not in the same language as the man with the nose. The black woman with intricate braids beside her snorts a laugh and nudges the man with the beard, who grins back at her, rolling his own eyes. 

‘Without further ado,’ rumbles Terry, somehow managing to speak and clear his throat at the same time, in that way of his. ‘I’m sure we’re all excited to hear what Ann-dro-mackie has to share with us today.’ He sketches a bow. In the scale of sketched bows, it’s a doodle on the back of a receipt. ‘The floor is yours, m'lady.’ 

Andromache stands and stalks to the mic with all the purpose of a general headed to war. She’s tall, and her boots click sharply on the parquet.  She has a sheet of paper in her hand, turned towards her thigh so Andy can’t get a peek at it as she passes him.

She takes a moment, stood behind the mic, to survey them. Andy sits up straighter still, and sees from the corner of his eye most of the room does the same. There’s intimidating, and then there’s this woman. 

‘One of you in here found this, yes?’ Andromache says at last, holding up the bit of paper she was carrying. It’s a photograph of Lance’s hoard, all gold and glitter. Her accent is one of those vague American ones that speaks to no particular source other than Other. 

Lance coughs uncomfortably, holding his hand up very slightly in front of his chest without uncrossing his arms. Andromache’s gaze zeroes in on him without mercy, and even from five feet away Andy feels a chill. 

Andromache leans closer to the mic. 

‘Give me back my fucking money.’

The collective room blinks.

‘Andy, no,’ groans the man with the nose, dropping his face into his hands. The man with the beard and the woman with the braids crack up laughing. 

[scottums]

There’s nothing like the smell of old paperbacks. Wherever it’s Place-Slip by Brian Danebury or The Nerve Doll by Jane Wilde or anything by C. L. Nolan, you feel the previous owners in the pages. #hookland https://www.instagram.com/p/ChnAiwWLfRU/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[sumpix]

Detectorists

Detectorists is a British single-camera television comedy series which was first broadcast on BBC Four on 2 October 2014. It is written and directed by Mackenzie Crook, who also stars alongside Toby Jones.[1] The series is set in the fictional small town of Danebury in northern Essex; the plot revolves around the lives, loves and metal detecting ambitions of Andy and Lance, members of the Danebury Metal Detecting Club (DMDC). It won a BAFTA award at the 2015 British Academy Television Awards for Television Scripted Comedy.[2] In May 2019, it was voted 19th in a Radio Times list of Britain's 20 favourite sitcoms by a panel that included sitcom writers and actors.[3]

(via Detectorists - Wikiwand)