A discovery made in Saltdean

Brighton Museum's object of the month comes from the archaeology department this time.
Saltdean Pot at Brighton MuseumSaltdean Pot at Brighton Museum
Saltdean Pot at Brighton Museum

In May 1910 schoolboys Edward Hales and George Wickes found this urn protruding from the cliff-top at Saltdean Gap, and sold it to Brighton Museum for 20 shillings (about £80 today).

Its globular design with inverted base and curved decoration place it in the late Iron Age, with this type of pottery associated with the arrival of Belgic migrants escaping the expansion of the Roman Empire.

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The urn contained cremated human remains and part-cremated pig bones, suggesting the burial of someone from a local farming community.

Finds like this remind us that Saltdean, Telscombe Cliffs and Peacehaven have been settled for thousands of years, and always had close links with the continent.

The Saltdene Pot is on display in Brighton Museum’s Museum Lab, open 2-5pm every Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday until August 30 for ‘Drop-in and Do’ sessions.

Brighton Museum also hosts a free ‘Dig It’ archaeology day on Sat, July 15: brightonmuseums.org.uk/discover/events/event/free-day-dig-it