MEM23693 - Possible Iron Age or Roman votive wheel at Porlock Stone Circle (Find Spot)

Excavation at Porlock Stone Circle in August 2013 recovered a crude, four spoked lead wheel 7 centimetres in diameter. It was noted to have a lead content of between 99.54 and 100% (with the remainder copper). It is possibly a votive offering of late Iron Age or early Roman date. It is, however, large for such objects and they are extremely rare finds in Britain (being most commonly found in Gaul). If the Porlock Circle example is Roman, it is therefore an important one. Assuming that the attribution is correct, this implies that the Porlock Circle was known and visited during the Roman period, the deposition of a votive wheel implying a ritual function. [1]