#MyGloucesterDiscovery

Further information…

The Birdlip treasure…

These grave goods were found in the Summer of 1879 by accident by a poor road mender called Joseph Barnfield on the escarpment at Birdlip. The grave itself dates from about the same time that the Romans were starting to settle in Gloucester and therefore is a good piece of evidence for the cross over from Iron Age to Roman Gloucester. However, the pieces in it were heirlooms, maybe over a hundred years old, when they were buried.

The grave contained three bodies – one woman in the centre who from her grave goods and position we think was the most important of the trio. At either side of her were two men. As Victorian Archaeological practices were not as advanced as they are today and we no longer have the skeletons we do not know whether all the people in the grave were related, or how they died. However, the skull of the lady in the grave has been analysed to create a facial reconstruction. We have had to guess things like her hair style and colour and what her eye colour was. However, we can be more certain of her bone structure and facial features.

The most important object in the grave group is the bronze mirror. Only about 60 prehistoric bronze mirrors have ever been found in England, Ireland and Holland, so our mirror is incredibly rare. It is certainly the biggest that has ever been found (and we think it has the best and most elaborate pattern as well!) The maker of the mirror was an incredibly skilled and important craftsman, but even he had to have a practice. When the mirrors handle was detached for conservation in the 1970s the makers practice marks for the etching were revealed. He had obviously practiced the type of movements and the pressure he would have had to use in a place that no one would see. It is a good job that this practicing was done as under the handle there are definitely bits that seem to have not gone as planned.

The mirror would have been a real status object, belonging only to a very powerful and important person. It was next to the lady in the grave so we must assume it was hers. The mirror would have been highly polished when it was in use and the reflective surface would have supplied a good and clear, if slightly yellow, reflection. It could have been used for checking appearances in, much as a modern mirror would be today. The iron Age people were certainly concerned with their appearance and took care over it. The tweezers in the case would have been a treasured object for personal grooming. The mirror could have also been used as part of magical or religious rituals…

The Eastgate Chamber

This underground chamber on Eastgate Street reveals the remains of city defences and the East gate, dating back to Gloucester's founding as a Roman settlement in around AD 68. The site includes Roman remains, the base of a 13th century tower and the Tudor 'horse-pool' where wagons and livestock were washed before market.