Most complete Iron Age carnyx and boar standard found in Norfolk, UK. 2,000 years old, 1st century CE West Norfolk, UK Consolidated horde of late Iron Age metalwork
Archaeologists unearthed Britain's most complete carnyx (Celtic war trumpet) in Norfolk. The 2,000-year-old hoard also includes a boar standard (the first in Britain) and five shield bosses. Previously only two carnyxes were known from Britain. 🐗🎺
Key Facts
- 2,000 years old, 1st century CE
- West Norfolk, UK
- Consolidated horde of late Iron Age metalwork
- Most complete carnyx (Celtic war trumpet) ever found
- Parts of second carnyx
- Boar standard or boar head
- Five shield bosses of varying forms and designs
- Prior to this horde, only 21 carnices known from across Europe
- Only two carnices previously known from Britain (antiquarian finds from 18th-19th centuries)
- First boar standard found in Britain
- Carnices represent pinnacle of Iron Age ceremonial and martial equipment
- Block lifted as consolidated unit for laboratory excavation
- CT scans and X-rays performed at horse hospital
- Shield bosses most easily datable to broadly first century AD
- Deliberately selected metalwork with remarkably clean soil context
- Undergoing conservation, treasure process, planned for Norwich Castle display
Source: Latest Archaeology Discoveries in January 2026 by Inside Archaeology