A ‘nationally important’ Roman hoard discovered in Ryedale is to go on public display for the first time this week ahead of its auction. The bronze bust of Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius is among a unique collection of 2,000-year-old artefacts which are set to go for between £70k and £90k at the auction next month. The fine bronze bust is part of a collection known as the Ryedale Ritual Bronzes, a group of religious finds discovered by metal detectorists James Spark and Mark Didlick, in May 2020. As well as the bust, which would have been mounted as the head of a priest’s sceptre, the hoard contained an equestrian statuette of the God Mars, a horse head knife handle and a large bronze pendulum.