Bronze and Iron Age treasure to stay in Dorset

Two "important and unusual" hoards of Bronze and Iron Age treasure found in Dorset are to remain in the county after a fundraising appeal.

A group of 40 coins dating from 2nd Century BC, and a separate hoard consisting of a Bronze Age axe head, bangle and sword, have been bought by Dorset Museum.

The attraction in Dorchester raised £32,000 to acquire both groups to prevent them being taken overseas and broken up.

They are to go on display in a special exhibition of treasure.

The gold stater coins, found at Charlton Marshall near Blandford Forum, are unusual because they were imported from France - made by a Gaulish tribe called the Baiocasses.

The museum said they provided evidence about how people were travelling and exchanging ideas with others on the continent in the centuries before the Roman invasion.

The Middle Bronze Age hoard, found in Stalbridge, consists of a palstave axe head, a decorated bangle and a rapier sword that appeared to be deliberately broken in three pieces and buried.

Only two similar and incomplete examples have been identified in Britain.

John Belgrove, the metal detectorist who found the Stalbridge group, said: "It's incredible to think these beautiful objects of such skilled workmanship had lain buried in the Dorset mud for over 3,000 years.

"I am still pinching myself that I'm a part of the Stalbridge Hoard story."

The acquisition was funded by donations and the Arts Council England/V&A Purchase Grant Fund.

Elizabeth Selby, director of collections, said: "These items will complement the museum's existing Bronze Age and Iron Age collections.

"The museum plans to showcase them in a special exhibition on treasure in the next few years, and they will eventually be integrated into the permanent galleries."

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