Christmas cheer for Corinium Museum’s Iron-Age dog

What do you give an Iron-Age dog that has it all? A name!

In October, Corinium Museum ran a competition to name the latest addition to its Stone Age to Corinium galleries. The fully-preserved Iron-Age dog, dating around 400-200 BC, was discovered in 2008 by Oxford Archaeology on the north-eastern edge of Cirencester. The dog, an adult male, aged between one to three years, was probably a working animal – most like a modern terrier – used for herding and guarding.

The excavated dog-with-no-name (Image: coriniummuseum.org)

In 2018, in hundreds of pieces, he was packed up and transported to Lancashire Conservation Studios. Here a specialist team of conservators undertook the delicate and highly skilled task of rebuilding the dog, piece, by piece, by piece.

Corinium Museum's Iron-Age dog, in hundreds of pieces, waiting patiently for some TLC (Image: coriniummuseum.org)

So far, so much love poured on our canine hero. But what of the name? Well, just in time for Santa to make sure presents get to him safely, he's been given the fitting name of Rusty!

Visit him at Corinium Museum, Cirencester, GL7 2BX, coriniummuseum.org

All I want for Christmas is a name (Image: coriniummuseum.org)