EARLY MAN researches of the late Sir A. Wollaston Franks,^ Mr. Charles H. Read* and Mr. J. Romilly Allen.' Broadly speaking the Brythons, who imported the knowledge of iron, still used personal ornaments of gold, and horse-trappings, etc. of bronze, whilst iron was used for weapons and implements of various kinds. Objects of this character, which have generally been discovered as hoards or in association with interments, are usually decorated with ornaments of a remarkable and peculiarly elegant character, consisting in the main of spirals and trumpet-shaped forms the source of which is involved in some obscurity. The remains of this interesting period which immediately preceded the advent of the Romans are, as far as Norfolk is concerned, but few in number and only locally important. A discovery of horse-trappings consisting of enamelled ornament or harness, buckles and rings was made many years since at Saham Toney, one mile north-west of Walton. An account of it, with an engraving which hardly does justice to the objects, was published by the Norfolk and Norwich Archaological Society in 1849,* but at that time the age of the objects was not appreciated. Another Late Celtic discovery was made at Caister between two and three miles south of Norwich. This was a bronze fibula ^ but further details are not obtainable. There is one other object found in Norfolk which is probably of Late Celtic workmanship. This is a pot nearly 10 inches high made of beaten bronze and shaped much like the coarse domestic ware in common use by the Britons at and for some time after the coming of the Romans. The pot which was acquired by the Trustees of the British Museum in 1900, is described as having been found at Mundesley 1 3 feet deep in gravel, and was therefore probably associated with an interment. Several coarse earthen pots of similar form but of larger size have been found at Silchester.® Coins of the Ancient Britons Coins of the prehistoric period have been found in several parts of Norfolk. They appear to be in most if not all cases feeble imitations of the beautiful pieces struck by Philip IL of Macedon in the fourth cen- tury B.C. These were impressed on the obverse with the laureate head of Apollo, and on the reverse with the representation, skilfully delineated, of a charioteer standing in a biga which was drawn by two horses, and inscribed underneath with the name of the famous king by whom they were struck. The design seems to have been universally admired, and was repeatedly copied on subsequent coins. In fact it was copied so much
- Hora Ferales, the standard work on Late Celtic art.
- Pari. Return on Celtic Ornaments found in Ireland, 1 899, p. 8.
3 Notes on Late Celtic Art, Archieologia Cambrensis, 5th ser. xiii. pp. 212-32, 321-36, etc.
- Norfolk Archeology, ii. pp. 398-400 ; Archaologia Cambrensis, 5th ser. xiii. p. 327.
- Op. cit. p. 327.
- Architologia, Ivii. p. 97, fig. 3, central pot in the group.
I 273 T
