Bronze Furnace

Due to the tribal practice of making votive offerings to gods of rivers and waterways, many bronze artefacts have been discovered at the bottom of lakes and rivers all over Europe. The River Thames in London, England must have held particular significance to the local tribes as a number of bronze work pieces have been discovered on the bottom over the years. The Waterloo Helmet, a ceremonial piece with two horns, was discovered in 1868, and the Wandsworth and Battersea shields were also recovered from the river and now reside in the British Museum. Like the helmet, the Battersea Shield is thought to be a ceremonial piece as there is no evidence of damage and no sign that it was ever attached to a wooden base, which would have given it the strength it required to be battle ready.