The object is a 5,000-year-old chalk sculpture and was discovered on a country estate near the village of Burton Agnes in East Yorkshire. The sculpture was first unearthed in a routine excavation by Allen Archaeology as part of the planning process in 2015, and has since gone on to be the subject of extensive research and conservation work. Thanks to this work, its existence can now be revealed as it’s confirmed to be one of the most significant ancient objects ever found on the British Isles.

This remarkable new discovery will now go on public display for the very first time as part of the British Museum’s The world of Stonehenge exhibition which opens next week.

The sculpture is decorated with elaborate motifs that reaffirms a British and Irish artistic style that flourished at exactly the same time as Stonehenge was built. It was uncovered alongside the burial of three children. The children are different ages and were buried in close contact in a moving scene. The two youngest were placed in the grave touching or holding hands. The eldest child was laid in the grave holding the two younger children. The sculpture was found just above the head of the eldest child and it includes three hastily added holes, perhaps marking the presence of the three bodies in the grave.

This new discovery is near identical to the Folkton drums and can also be described as a chalk drum. It is only the fourth example of its kind known to have survived. Despite the use of the term ‘drum’, they are not thought to have had a musical function. Rather they are works of sculptural art, perhaps intended as talismans to protect the children they accompanied.

The new drum will go on display in the Stonehenge exhibition alongside all three Folkton drums. It will be displayed at the British Museum on loan from the Burton Agnes Estate. After the exhibition, it will undergo further assessment and analysis in preparation for publication.