Page:Early Man in Britain and His Place in the Tertiary Period.djvu/458

430 a skeleton of a warrior was discovered resting on his shield, which was made of wood, with a bronze boss in the centre and an iron rim. On each side was an iron horse-bit, with the metallic portions of harness, and the wheels of a chariot. These were of oak, two feet eight inches in diameter, with iron tires, and each had sixteen spokes. Two boars' tusks were close by the skeleton, one of which was carved and fitted into a sin ovular little bronze case. A second, termed the King's Barrow, yielded similar remains. A skeleton of an old man lay in an excavation in the chalk about one and a half feet deep, resting on his back, with arms crossed on the breast, and legs crossed. The skulls of two wild boars were close to the head, and on either side a chariot wheel, and the skeletons of two small horses with all their iron and bronze accoutrements.

A third tumulus, about three feet high, termed the Queen's Barrow, gives us an idea of the interment of a woman of rank. A female skeleton lay in a grave cut in the chalk about a foot deep, with head to the north, and with feet gathered up. The neck had been surrounded by a necklace of about a hundred glass beads, most of which were deep-blue with circlets of white, some of clear green colour, traversed by a wavy opaque white line, probably intended to represent the figure of a snake. A ring of red amber lay near the breast, as well as a radiated fibula of Roman type, and a pendant to match set with ivory, two bronze bracelets ornamented with enamel, a bronze ring, tweezers, two pins with rings at the head, and a gold finger-ring. A small socketed celt, about an inch long, with a small light-blue glass bead attached to it by a pin, was discovered in another barrow in this group. It had been