Dog discovered guarding buried treasure from the Iron Age

Thu, 27 Jan 2011

The remains of a dog have been discovered by archaeologists guarding buried treasure dating back 2,000 years.

The skeleton, was unearthed at an important Iron Age excavation site in the UK, is said to be the size of an Alsatian or a retriever .

The treasure is thought to have belonged to a tribe called the Corieltauvi who lived in Britain before the Roman conquest. The dog was killed and buried by the treasure between AD1 and AD50 so its spirit could watch over hoard.

The excavation site where the dog’s skeleton was found in Leicestershire is where the largest amount of Iron Age coins was found in 2000.

This latest find shows that the special relationship between dogs and humans has been in existence for thousands of years.

The University of Leicester’s archaeology services have pieced together the remains of the dog, which will go on display at Harborough Museum this weekend, along with gold and silver coins (approx 5,000) and a decorated Roman parade helmet.

The dog will still be on guard duty as its glass case will stand by the entrance of the exhibit.

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