Wetwang Slack is an

Iron Age The Iron Age is the final epoch of the three-age division of the prehistory and protohistory of humanity. It was preceded by the Stone Age ( Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic) and the Bronze Age ( Chalcolithic). The concept has been mostl ...

archaeological site An archaeological site is a place (or group of physical sites) in which evidence of past activity is preserved (either prehistoric or historic or contemporary), and which has been, or may be, investigated using the discipline of archaeology a ...

containing remains of the

Arras culture The Arras culture is an archaeological culture of the Middle Iron Age in East Yorkshire, England. It takes its name from the cemetery site of Arras, at Arras Farm, near Market Weighton, which was discovered in the 19th century. The site spans t ...

and chariot burial tradition of

East Yorkshire The East Riding of Yorkshire, or simply East Riding or East Yorkshire, is a ceremonial county and unitary authority area in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It borders North Yorkshire to the north and west, South Yorkshire to th ...

. Archaeological investigation took place in 2001 and 2002. The site is in a dry valley on the north side of the village of

Wetwang Wetwang is a Yorkshire Wolds village and civil parish in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England, west of Driffield on the A166 road. At the 2011 census, it had a population of 761, an increase on the 2001 census figure of 672. Toponymy Th ...

.John Dent. 2002. "Three cart burials from Wetwang" in ''Celts from Antiquity'', Antiquity Publications. p248 The archaeological remains consist of three chariot burial

inhumations Burial, also known as interment or inhumation, is a method of final disposition whereby a dead body is placed into the ground, sometimes with objects. This is usually accomplished by excavating a pit or trench, placing the deceased and objec ...

, each containing skeletal remains above the remains of a dismantled cart or chariot. All the skeletal remains from the three inhumations were aligned on a north-south axis, with the head pointing north.Stead, I.M. 1991.
Iron Age Cemeteries in East Yorkshire
' English Heritage Archaeological Report No. 2, London: English Heritage Many of the finds excavated from the site are now preserved in the

British Museum The British Museum is a public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is among the largest and most comprehensive in existence. It docum ...

Burial 1

The grave lay within a triangular ditched enclosure c 6.5–7 m wide, but the northern and eastern ditches have been removed by machine. The remains were of a young male adult lying on his right side with his knees drawn up to his body. Pig bones had been placed on top of the body. The

iron Iron () is a chemical element with Symbol (chemistry), symbol Fe (from la, Wikt:ferrum, ferrum) and atomic number 26. It is a metal that belongs to the first transition series and group 8 element, group 8 of the periodic table. It is, Abundanc ...

tyres and nave hoops of both wheels survived, as did several spokes from the wheel. The axle of the chariot was in length.

Burial 2

The second burial was contained within a square-ditched enclosure, or square barrow 9.6m wide.John Dent. 2002. "Three cart burials from Wetwang" in ''Celts from Antiquity'', Antiquity Publications. p251 The skeletal remains were in the centre of the barrow and were of a young adult female, facing right with her legs bent and her arms extended. Pig bones were also deposited on top of the skeleton. A soilmark shows the position of the complete dismantled chariot, beneath the individual, including its extended pole to which the

yoke A yoke is a wooden beam sometimes used between a pair of oxen or other animals to enable them to pull together on a load when working in pairs, as oxen usually do; some yokes are fitted to individual animals. There are several types of yoke, u ...

would have attached. Other chariot fittings include iron tyres and bronze nave hoops, four spokes and

terret A terret is a metal loop on a horse harness, guiding the lines and preventing them from becoming tangled or snagged on the harness. The lines run from the hands of the driver, through the terrets, and then attach to the horse's bit to guide the ...

rings. Behind the head and shoulders of the skeleton, were two horse-bits, a bronze case with a chain attached (diameter about 90mm), a pin and a bronze mirror. This person has been named Wetwang Woman.

English Heritage English Heritage (officially the English Heritage Trust) is a charity that manages over 400 historic monuments, buildings and places. These include prehistoric sites, medieval castles, Roman forts and country houses. The charity states that i ...

's chief archaeologist described this as "one of the most significant and exciting Middle Iron Age burials ever found in Britain".

Burial 3

Quarrying on the site has removed the northern edge of the enclosure, and the upper part of the cranial remains. As in the other burials, the body was placed on top of a dismantled chariot and was of a young adult, facing right with the thighs drawn up at right angles to the torso. Iron tyres and nave hoops survive along with other chariot fittings. The axle measured 1.83m in length. An iron sword, in its scabbard, with bronze decoration lay diagonally across the body and two rings with central studs of

coral Corals are marine invertebrates within the class Anthozoa of the phylum Cnidaria. They typically form compact colonies of many identical individual polyps. Coral species include the important reef builders that inhabit tropical oceans and ...

may have fitted onto the sword belt. Coral was also used in several items of jewellery from the Queen's Barrow inhumation at Arras.

References

{{Reflist Prehistory of the East Riding of Yorkshire Iron Age sites in England Chariot burials de:Arras-Kultur

Burial 1

Burial 2

Burial 3

See also

References