Exhibition of Gold
Tuesday, 07 October, 2008

THIS WEEKEND: A very special exhibition of objects rarely displayed, including gold, will be on show at Wiltshire Heritage Museum over the weekend of 25 and 26 October 2008. The finds were excavated from Bush Barrow, Salisbury Plain, in 1808; the richest and most important Bronze Age grave excavated in Britain.

First excavated in 1808, Bush Barrow on Normanton Down was found to contain, beside the burial of an adult male, an extraordinary assemblage of Bronze Age finds. This included two diamond-shaped plaques (lozenges) and a belt hook of sheet gold, a bronze axe head and two daggers and replicas are displayed at Wiltshire Heritage Museum. To celebrate the bi-centenary of the excavation the original finds, including the gold, will be displayed at the Museum for the first time in over 25 years. There will also be a short multi-media presentation introducing visitors to the objects.

Over the last year or so, led by researchers from Birmingham University and funded by the Leverhulme Trust, finds from the excavation have been intensively studied and their report will be the subject of the lecture Bush Barrow and the Normanton Down Early Bronze Age cemetery: a bicentennial appreciation. The lecture by Stuart Needham, Andrew Lawson and Ann Woodward will review the knowledge and understanding of Bronze Age burial complexes on Normanton Down, with especial reference to Bush Barrow.

David Dawson, Director, said “this is a unique opportunity to see not just the gold from Bush Barrow, the grave of a Bronze Age warrior buried within sight of Stonehenge, but the unique manuscripts and drawings will tell the vivid story of its discovery 200 years ago. Added to that, the opportunity to hear the results of the latest archaeological research make this an event that must not be missed.”

Tickets for the exhibition are available on an hourly basis. The Museum will be open 10am to 5pm on Saturday 25 October and 11am to 4pm on Sunday 26 October. The lecture is sold out. Tickets cost £5 (children under 16 free) and are available from the Museum shop, wanhs@wiltshireheritage.org.uk or telephone 01380 727369.

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For further information about Bush Barrow visit the Galleries section of this website.