A NEW exhibition aims to reveal some of the fascinating stories behind the headlines of buried treasure.

Hoards: A Hidden History of Ancient Britain comes to Salisbury Museum and opens on October 13.

The exhibition, which features displays of hoards from across the British Isles, is in partnership with the British Museum. It traces the story of hoarding from Bronze weapons discovered in the river Thames and the first Iron Age coin hoards, through to hoards buried after the collapse of Roman rule in Britain and in more recent times.

It will also showcase recent discoveries reported by finders and archaeologists through the Treasure Act and brings together objects from the British Museum and Salisbury Museum, including the spectacular Ipswich Iron Age gold torcs and new prehistoric and Roman finds from Wessex.

Adrian Green, the director of Salisbury Museum, said: “Many of the incredible finds in this exhibition were reported through the Portable Antiquities Scheme.

“This national scheme is run by the British Museum to encourage the recording of archaeological objects found by members of the public.

“The information recorded about finds from the Wiltshire area has transformed our knowledge of the past and helped to make exhibitions like this possible.”

The displays explore the reasons why ancient people have placed precious objects underwater and in the ground since the Bronze Age.

They may have been accidentally lost or stolen, discarded as worthless, saved for recycling, hidden for safekeeping, or offered up to the gods.

Prehistoric communities deposited hoards as part of rituals to honour gods or ancestors, and to demonstrate power and wealth, while Roman coin hoards have traditionally been viewed as being hidden for safekeeping from external threats.

Info: salisburymuseum.org.uk