Iron Age ’warrior’ burial uncovered in West Sussex

A richly-furnished grave belonging to an Iron Age 'warrior' buried 2,000 years ago has been uncovered in West Sussex by UCL archaeologists. Iron weapons had been placed inside the grave, including a sword in a highly-decorated scabbard and a spear. The burial was discovered during an excavation commissioned by Linden Homes, who are developing a site on the outskirts of Walberton, near Chichester, to create 175 new homes. The team that made the discovery were from Archaeology South-East (ASE), the commercial branch of UCL's Institute of Archaeology. ASE archaeologist Jim Stevenson, who is managing the post-excavation investigations into the burial, said: "There has been much discussion generally as to who the people buried in the 'warrior' tradition may have been in life. Were they really warriors, or just buried with the trappings of one? "Although the soil conditions destroyed the skeleton, the items discovered within the grave suggest that the occupant had been an important individual." The grave is dated to the late Iron Age/ early Roman period (1st century BC - AD 50). It is incredibly rare, as only a handful are known to exist in the South of England.