Free-reins and guiding-hands: Iron Age and early Roman chariot fittings from western and central Britain

The project is for a new study of Iron Age and early Roman chariot terrets (rein-guides) in western and central Britain. These highly variable and frequently decorated fittings on chariot yokes are almost wholly an insular phenomenon and trace their origins to the late Bronze Age. Only a handful of comparable finds are known from Ireland and the European mainland, most or all probably exports from Britain. Excluding coins and brooches, the terret is also the commonest form of copper-alloy artefact surviving from Iron Age Britain and the most abundant type of horse trapping. They also occur regularly in contexts dating to the first and second centuries AD and it is clear that Roman expansion gave a new and widespread impetus amongst Iron Age communities for their manufacture, use for display and discard through votive use.

Given their evident potential for generating insights into issues such as changing social and regional identities, martial display and conflict, long-distance contacts and transport, and acculturation following the Roman invasion, terrets have received surprisingly little attention since Leeds (1933) devised a basic classification. The last reference studies were undertaken over 35 years ago, but in the context of wider reappraisals of 'Celtic' art in Britain (Spratling 1972; MacGregor 1976). These utilised <25% of the terrets now known and were further restricted both by their geographical remit (southern and northern Britain respectively) and overdependence on material from a chronologically limited range of hoard and burial finds. Despite a somewhat larger sample of finds (still <50%), similar limitations apply to Palk's (1988) unpublished PhD on horse trappings.

In the last two decades, especially since 1997 when the PAS was established, terret finds have more than doubled, with over 600 excavated and detected finds recorded on the database produced by the recent AHRC 'Technologies of Enchantment' project. These include distinctive new varieties and significant new clusters of finds in regions like Wales, the East and West Midlands and Yorkshire, which previously had relatively few examples (Worrell 2007). We estimate that the total is now 700-800 and likely to be more representative of the range of chronological and geographical variation in terret types than the sample previously available. At the same time, there is now independent dating evidence for some key closed finds containing terrets (Garrow et al 2009), whilst metal analysis has identified apparent compositional differences between many central British terrets from first/second century AD contexts and those of earlier manufacture (Dungworth 1996).

Together, these data will permit a more refined typo-chronology to be constructed for terrets. They will allow their presence in different regions, at different types of sites and landscape contexts, and recurrent associations with other chariot fittings and types of objects to be analysed. In order to keep the project manageable for a PhD, the principal focus for new data collection and analysis will be western and central Britain, as the zone which received least attention in previous studies, but finds from East Anglia (which yielded 53% of all new terrets recorded by PAS up to 2004), central southern England, south eastern England, northern England and Scotland will be drawn on as appropriate for comparative analysis.

Through the detailed study and interpretation of these distinctive objects, the project will (1) open up important new avenues of research into themes such as social and martial display in Iron Age Britain; the character and organization of production; the exchange of goods and ideas; and the changing expression of identities and beliefs across the Iron Age-Roman divide; (2) provide additional context for AC-NMW collections and other museums with horse trappings in the

This research project will support AC-NMW in its public and social role for Wales, as well as that of other museums across Britain, with terrets in their collections. A key priority for museum staff partnered in this application, will be to identify ways in which this supported research is disseminated to different audiences and user groups.

Specifically, this project could enhance the growing display and presentation of chariot pieces within the 'Origins: In Search of Early Wales' gallery at the National Museum Cardiff. This popular 'Celtic' Iron Age topic could feed a learning and interactive resource, linked with our Clore Interactive Gallery at the same venue. In coming years, the organisation plans to create major new archaeological displays, activities and engagements as part of an ambitious St Fagans Redevelopment Project. This museum venue, on the outskirts of Cardiff, will have an estimated footfall of 850,000 visitors per year. The archaeological and historical collections and displays will be integrated, enabling visitors to participate with stories and collections from earliest human time to present day Wales. This research project, contributing strongly to the themes of identities and sitting on the cusp between prehistory and history, therefore has a timely role to play in informing storyline and content.

AC-NMW currently provides information to remote users about the collections via its 'Rhagor' (Welsh for 'More') web journal. This resource is aimed at interested public audiences, is well illustrated and provides follow-up ideas, enabling learning progression. Similarly, the 'People's Collection' is an online museum, incorporating artefacts from museums, archives and heritage bodies from all over Wales. It provides potential for 3D scans, mobile phone downloads and interaction through comment. One widely accessible public outcome of this research project could be articles on highlight pieces, or a resource linking many examples from diverse collections. The host department also runs a successful lunchtime talk series and periodic conferences and lectures. The post-holder would be encouraged to present their ideas and research to both general interest and specialist interest audiences.

The project will draw widely upon new information provided by metal-detectorists and other members of the public through the publicly funded Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS). The Wales PAS co-ordinator (Lodwick), is based at the National Museum Cardiff (the overall scheme being based at The British Museum). AC-NMW's support for this CDA will help assure clear research outcomes from this major, publicly funded engagement project. The CDA will use data from the scheme generated by the public, will contribute to improved records on the database and will disseminate these findings back to detectorists who provided the data through articles and the web. New information gathered by the student will be entered onto the 'Celtic Art Database' for Britain, a public and web accessible resource hosted by The British Museum. This is updated annually by the relevant curators (including Adam Gwilt) employed at National Museums around Britain.

The project will train an individual in the artefact identification skills that are in short supply and assist them in developing specialist knowledge of Iron Age to early Roman material culture. These can, in turn, be passed on to others in the profession. The lack of such skills has been identified as a major gap by both museum professionals and archaeological contractors in the UK and is an important reason for AC-NMW's support for the CDA scheme. The longer-term legacy of this CDA - the new corpus, typological scheme, dating and interpretations - will inform future research on these objects and their presentations to academic and wide public audiences.