Corbridge Hoard
Encyclopedia
The Corbridge Hoard is a hoard
of mostly iron artefacts that was excavated in 1964 within the Roman
site of Coria
, next to what is now Corbridge
, Northumberland
, England
(not to be confused with a hoard of gold coins found nearby in 1911 or a scattered hoard of silver tableware discovered between 1731 and 1760).
It came from amongst the central range of administrative buildings in one of the early forts
underlying the later Roman town and probably dates to between AD 122 and 138 (Allason-Jones and Bishop 1988).
The contents (which included iron/steel, copper-alloy, lead-alloy, stone, glass, and organic items) were buried in an iron-bound, leather-covered chest
, made of alder
-wood planks fitted together with dovetails at the corners.
The most famous objects within were six upper and six lower half-units of 'lorica segmentata
' armour which, although mis-matched, could represent as few as three whole cuirass
es, or elements of twelve partial sets. It was this discovery that enabled Charles Daniels and H. Russell Robinson to understand how this type of armour should be reconstructed (Robinson 1975).
The Corbridge Hoard also contained bundles of spearhead
s still tied together with cord; artillery bolts
; a sword scabbard
; various tools and implements (including a pulley-block
and a crusie lamp); items associated with carpentry, such as nails and joiner's dogs
; a small wooden bucket or tankard. There were also fragmentary remains of feathers (possibly cushion stuffing or helmet plumes), wax writing tablets
, and (almost uniquely in Roman Britain
) fragments of papyrus
.
All of the organic components in the Hoard (including the box itself) had been preserved by mineralization
brought about by the rust
ing of its iron and steel contents.
The Hoard has been variously interpreted as material hurriedly concealed from attacking barbarians (Daniels 1968:126); deliberately buried in order to accumulate verdigris
and rust
for medicinal purposes (Davies 1970); or detritus from clearing out a workshop when a garrison
moved on from the site (and buried to deny the raw materials to an enemy: Manning 1972:241-2).
Parts of the Hoard are on display at Corbridge Roman Site museum, whilst some other material from it is on display in the Great North Museum in Newcastle upon Tyne
.
Hoard
In archaeology, a hoard is a collection of valuable objects or artifacts, sometimes purposely buried in the ground. This would usually be with the intention of later recovery by the hoarder; hoarders sometimes died before retrieving the hoard, and these surviving hoards may be uncovered by...
of mostly iron artefacts that was excavated in 1964 within the Roman
Roman Britain
Roman Britain was the part of the island of Great Britain controlled by the Roman Empire from AD 43 until ca. AD 410.The Romans referred to the imperial province as Britannia, which eventually comprised all of the island of Great Britain south of the fluid frontier with Caledonia...
site of Coria
Coria (Corbridge)
Coria was a fort and town, located south of Hadrian's Wall, in the Roman province of Britannia. Its full Latin name is uncertain. Today it is known as Corchester or Corbridge Roman Site, adjoining Corbridge in the English county of Northumberland...
, next to what is now Corbridge
Corbridge
Corbridge is a village in Northumberland, England, situated west of Newcastle and east of Hexham. Villages in the vicinity include Halton, Acomb, Aydon and Sandhoe.-Roman fort and town:...
, Northumberland
Northumberland
Northumberland is the northernmost ceremonial county and a unitary district in North East England. For Eurostat purposes Northumberland is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "Northumberland and Tyne and Wear" NUTS 2 region...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
(not to be confused with a hoard of gold coins found nearby in 1911 or a scattered hoard of silver tableware discovered between 1731 and 1760).
It came from amongst the central range of administrative buildings in one of the early forts
Castra
The Latin word castra, with its singular castrum, was used by the ancient Romans to mean buildings or plots of land reserved to or constructed for use as a military defensive position. The word appears in both Oscan and Umbrian as well as in Latin. It may have descended from Indo-European to Italic...
underlying the later Roman town and probably dates to between AD 122 and 138 (Allason-Jones and Bishop 1988).
The contents (which included iron/steel, copper-alloy, lead-alloy, stone, glass, and organic items) were buried in an iron-bound, leather-covered chest
Chest (furniture)
A chest is one of the oldest forms of furniture. It is typically a rectangular structure with four walls and a liftable lid, for storage. The interior space may be subdivided...
, made of alder
Alder
Alder is the common name of a genus of flowering plants belonging to the birch family . The genus comprises about 30 species of monoecious trees and shrubs, few reaching large size, distributed throughout the North Temperate Zone and in the Americas along the Andes southwards to...
-wood planks fitted together with dovetails at the corners.
The most famous objects within were six upper and six lower half-units of 'lorica segmentata
Lorica segmentata
The lōrīca segmentāta was a type of segmented armour almost exclusively used in the Roman Empire, but the Latin name was first used in the 16th century...
' armour which, although mis-matched, could represent as few as three whole cuirass
Cuirass
A cuirass is a piece of armour, formed of a single or multiple pieces of metal or other rigid material, which covers the front of the torso...
es, or elements of twelve partial sets. It was this discovery that enabled Charles Daniels and H. Russell Robinson to understand how this type of armour should be reconstructed (Robinson 1975).
The Corbridge Hoard also contained bundles of spearhead
Spear
A spear is a pole weapon consisting of a shaft, usually of wood, with a pointed head.The head may be simply the sharpened end of the shaft itself, as is the case with bamboo spears, or it may be made of a more durable material fastened to the shaft, such as flint, obsidian, iron, steel or...
s still tied together with cord; artillery bolts
Ballista
The ballista , plural ballistae, was an ancient missile weapon which launched a large projectile at a distant target....
; a sword scabbard
Scabbard
A scabbard is a sheath for holding a sword, knife, or other large blade. Scabbards have been made of many materials over the millennia, including leather, wood, and metals such as brass or steel.-Types of scabbards:...
; various tools and implements (including a pulley-block
Pulley
A pulley, also called a sheave or a drum, is a mechanism composed of a wheel on an axle or shaft that may have a groove between two flanges around its circumference. A rope, cable, belt, or chain usually runs over the wheel and inside the groove, if present...
and a crusie lamp); items associated with carpentry, such as nails and joiner's dogs
Woodworking
Woodworking is the process of building, making or carving something using wood.-History:Along with stone, mud, and animal parts, wood was one of the first materials worked by early humans. Microwear analysis of the Mousterian stone tools used by the Neanderthals show that many were used to work wood...
; a small wooden bucket or tankard. There were also fragmentary remains of feathers (possibly cushion stuffing or helmet plumes), wax writing tablets
Wax tablet
A wax tablet is a tablet made of wood and covered with a layer of wax, often linked loosely to a cover tablet, as a "double-leaved" diptych. It was used as a reusable and portable writing surface in Antiquity and throughout the Middle Ages...
, and (almost uniquely in Roman Britain
Roman Britain
Roman Britain was the part of the island of Great Britain controlled by the Roman Empire from AD 43 until ca. AD 410.The Romans referred to the imperial province as Britannia, which eventually comprised all of the island of Great Britain south of the fluid frontier with Caledonia...
) fragments of papyrus
Papyrus
Papyrus is a thick paper-like material produced from the pith of the papyrus plant, Cyperus papyrus, a wetland sedge that was once abundant in the Nile Delta of Egypt....
.
All of the organic components in the Hoard (including the box itself) had been preserved by mineralization
Mineralization
Mineralization may refer to:* Mineralization , the process through which an organic substance becomes impregnated by inorganic substances...
brought about by the rust
Rust
Rust is a general term for a series of iron oxides. In colloquial usage, the term is applied to red oxides, formed by the reaction of iron and oxygen in the presence of water or air moisture...
ing of its iron and steel contents.
The Hoard has been variously interpreted as material hurriedly concealed from attacking barbarians (Daniels 1968:126); deliberately buried in order to accumulate verdigris
Verdigris
Verdigris is the common name for a green pigment obtained through the application of acetic acid to copper plates or the natural patina formed when copper, brass or bronze is weathered and exposed to air or seawater over a period of time. It is usually a basic copper carbonate, but near the sea...
and rust
Rust
Rust is a general term for a series of iron oxides. In colloquial usage, the term is applied to red oxides, formed by the reaction of iron and oxygen in the presence of water or air moisture...
for medicinal purposes (Davies 1970); or detritus from clearing out a workshop when a garrison
Garrison
Garrison is the collective term for a body of troops stationed in a particular location, originally to guard it, but now often simply using it as a home base....
moved on from the site (and buried to deny the raw materials to an enemy: Manning 1972:241-2).
Parts of the Hoard are on display at Corbridge Roman Site museum, whilst some other material from it is on display in the Great North Museum in Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England. Historically a part of Northumberland, it is situated on the north bank of the River Tyne...
.