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Ancient god, barbarian and frog come back home

Historic England Grey stone sculpture of man's head and horse's hoofHistoric England
One of the finds was a stone head of a barbarian (non-Roman) with a horse's hoof

Striking historical treasures discovered at a nature reserve have returned home after being hidden away in a store 150 miles away.

The artefacts, including a frog figurine and a sculpture of a barbarian, have been transferred to a new archaeological resource centre at Chester House Estate in Northamptonshire.

The archive filled 3,000 boxes and included 2.5 tonnes of pottery and 3,750 coins.

Some of the items are expected to go on display to the public next year.

Historic England Dark green model of frog showing legs and headHistoric England
A bronze figurine of a frog was excavated at Stanwick Lakes

The objects in the archive were excavated between 1984 and 1991 at Stanwick Lakes near Rushden.

They were then taken to Historic England's store in Portsmouth.

The return of the artefacts was funded by a grant from Historic England and is the result of a three-year project which involved teams from both the Northamptonshire Archaeological Resource Centre (Arc) and Historic England.

Historic England Shelves full of labelled cardboard boxesHistoric England
The archive filled 3,000 boxes

The finds included 16 partially reconstructed pieces of Roman mosaic and 280 large pieces of Roman sculpture.

Also found during the excavations were prehistoric beaker pots and jets and a pristine example of a flint dagger which research has shown was unused before it was buried within a grave.

The finds will now be accessible to researchers and some are expected to be displayed at the museum at Stanwick Lakes next year, while others may be put on show at Rushden Lakes.

Historic England Large lump of stone showing face of goddessHistoric England
The goddess Minerva was captured in stone in one of the finds

Helen Howell, deputy leader of North Northamptonshire Council, said: "It is fantastic news that these historically important items have been able to return to the county and their new home is so close to where the items were originally excavated - it truly is a 'full circle' moment.

Becky Gill, heritage manager at Stanwick Lakes, said: “Being able to display items in our Heritage Museum, on the site on which they were found, is a wonderful and engaging way for us to be able to tell the story of the area’s rich heritage and history."

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