Statue unearthed in Cambridgeshire suggests mullet may have been popular first century hairstyle
A tiny statue with a distinctive haircut suggests the mullet could have been a popular look in the first century AD, an archaeologist has suggested.
The 5cm-tall figure of an unknown Celtic deity was discovered during digging on the site of a new visitor centre at the National Trust's Wimpole Estate in Cambridgeshire.
Work in 2018 revealed a late Iron Age to early Roman rural settlement, and artefacts discovered there have since been subject to further analysis.
It's thought the copper alloy figure, made in the first century AD, represents Cernunnos, the Celtic god of fertility.
When the figure was cleaned, the moustache and hairstyle detail was revealed, showing hair neatly shaped at the front but long and tidy at the back.
Shannon Hogan, National Trust archaeologist for the East of England, said the figure was an exceptional find with remarkable detail.
The torc the figure is holding - an open-ended metal neck ring - is still clear and a small recess at the centre is suggestive of a decorative inlay, now lost.
"We have extremely limited knowledge of what ordinary people of England at that time looked like, so this beautifully detailed figure might just be giving us a tantalising glimpse into their appearance, or how they imagined their gods."
The figure probably originally served as the handle of a spatula, according to the National Trust.
It may have been lost or deposited at Wimpole by inhabitants of early Roman Britain at the end of the Iron Age.
Chris Thatcher, from Oxford East Archaeology, said: "Finds such as this give a rare and fascinating insight into aesthetics and symbolism in the latest Iron Age.
"The extent to which his hairstyle is typical of contemporary styles will never be known for certain.
"However, we think the combination of him holding a torc - associated with status - and forming the handle of a spatula - either used to mix medicines, or wax for writing tablets - speak of influence and power.
"The fact that he was found on a site with so much other evidence for it being a local hub is wonderful and appropriate."
The Roman settlement that was excavated is believed to have been at the centre of a trading network, with imported pottery as well as around 300 metal objects uncovered during the dig.
These included coins, cosmetic implements, horse harness fittings, Roman military uniform fittings, a spearhead, an axe head, key handles, brooches, as well as scrap lead and a number of iron nails.