tour 4 of 6
The Wetwang Chariot Burial
The Chariot: Evidence
A wooden vehicle with two wheels and drawn by
two ponies was probably a common form of transport in Iron Age
Britain. The discovery of a chariot burial allows us to see
precious evidence for what these vehicles looked like and how they
were made. This part of the tour examines the evidence for the
chariot as found in the grave at
Wetwang.
While only the
metal parts - a small part of the complete vehicle - have survived
well, the craftmanship shown on these items can tell us something
of the missing wood and raw hide
parts.
The metal fittings
have needed days of careful cleaning in the British
Museum's Conservation Department to preserve them and
unveil their secrets. Equally of interest to the archaeologists are
the impressions and marks revealed in the soil (see 'The
invisible traces'). Combining the two has given a new
picture of such vehicles.