During the excavations in 2014, in Colchester, under a department store, a wooden box and bags were discovered. They contained: three gold armlets, a silver chain, two silver bracelets, a silver armlet, a small bag of coins, a small box containing two sets of gold earrings, and four gold rings. The finds date back to around 61 CE.
It seems that the owner or one of her slaves hid jewellery in the house to protect their belongings during the uprising of the Iceni queen, Boudicca. The British revolt against the Roman occupation led to the destruction of many cities, including three of them burnt down. Colchester was Boudica’s first target. The terrified Roman citizen hid her wealth under the floor, hoping that she would regain her debt after suppressing the rebellion. After two days of sieging the city, the house was destroyed and the jewellery buried.
