Man finds 'rare' Roman treasures in a field

A metal detectorist found a hoard of Roman bronze objects hidden for nearly 2,000 years.

The items were discovered in the Chilterns, Buckinghamshire, by Adam McLelland with the landowner's permission.

They consisted of two enamelled mounts, a glass gaming counter, a bone die, several other bronze items, and most importantly, pieces of an ornate bronze rattle. They will now go on display at Discover Bucks Museum in Church Street in Aylesbury.

Ian Richardson, head of portable antiquities and treasure at the British Museum, said: "The donation is a great example of the metal-detecting archaeological and museum communities working to achieve a fantastic result."

The finds have been described by Discover Bucks Museum as being of exceptional quality.

"The rattle seems to have all of its pieces, including the 'peas' that went inside it, although it is extremely fragile", they said.

"Rattles were used in Roman religious ceremonies, and very few have ever been found in Britain."

A private donor came forward to pay for the cost of the conservation work, which was a time-consuming and expensive process.

The museum said that without this funding, the objects would deteriorate, especially the fragile pieces and the enamelled surface on the mounts.

Peter Brazier, Buckinghamshire Council's cabinet member for culture & leisure, said: "This is a rare and exciting find, and the council's archaeology team became directly involved to ensure the remains were properly excavated.

"We also brought in Oxford Archaeology to carry out the dig, which was monitored by our team.

"I would like to thank Adam, who discovered the hoard, for his professionalism, and both him and the landowner for their decision to donate it to the museum."

The hoard will go on display on Saturday as part of the museum's Festival of Archaeology event.

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