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As warrior Queen Boudicca and her army advanced on the town of Colchester almost 2,000 years ago, a terrified Roman woman stashed her most valuable possessions in the ground.

This is the belief of archaeologists who have unearthed one of the finest collections of Roman 'bling' stashed in a 'clutch bag' under what is now the Essex town's High Street.

The hoard includes gold armlets, earrings and rings as well as silver chains, rings and coins, and was buried in bags and a wooden box under the floor of a house.

Archaeologists who have unearthed one of the finest collections of Roman 'bling' stashed in a 'clutch bag' under what is now Colchester High Street. The hoard (pictured) includes gold armlets, earrings and rings as well as silver chains, rings and coins, and was buried in bags and a wooden box under the floor of a house

The owner of the jewellery is unknown, but she may have been killed in a 'sacred grove' – a fate which befell wealthy Roman women captured by the Iceni army.

Dr Philip Crummy, director of the Colchester Archaeological Trust described the find as 'of national importance and one of the finest ever uncovered in Britain.'

'We had almost finished our six-month study of the site when we came upon a small tangled ball of metal that turned out to be jewellery that had lain there undisturbed since 61AD,' he said.  

Archeologists think that the jewellery was buried by a terrified Roman woman as warrior Queen Boudicca (pictured as a statue) and her army advanced on the town of Colchester, almost 2,000 years ago

The impressive collection of  jewellery was discovered by the Williams & Griffin department store on the High Street in Colchester (marked) and it's hoped more treasure could be found nearby

The Roman owner of the jewellery (pictured left and right) is unknown, but she may have been killed in a 'sacred grove' – a fate which befell Roman wealthy women captured by the army

Boudicca was Queen of the Iceni people, a British tribe who lived in what is today Norfolk and parts of Suffolk and Cambridgeshire. Her name is an early for of the more commonly known name 'Victoria'.

The Boudiccan Revolt saw British tribes, under Boudicca of the Iceni, unsuccessfully try to defeat the Roman army. 

The revolt resulted in Camulodunum, now Colchester, London, and Verulamium, now St Albans, being burnt to the ground while thousands of people on both sides lost their lives. 

Dr Crummy said: 'It is a particularly poignant find because of its historical context - Boudicca and her army destroyed London and St Albans but many of the inhabitants had time to escape however the people of Colchester were not so fortunate.

'They knew a large Roman army was coming to their aid but they were practically defenceless, with only a small force of soldiers and no town defences.

'Imagine their panic and desperation when they learnt of the massacre of a large part of the Ninth Legion on its way to relieve them and after a two-day siege they were over-run.'

He explained that they would have tried desperately to bury and hide valuables like jewellery for safe-keeping.

'We know that the "noblest" of Colchester's Roman women were taken to sacred groves, where they were killed in a horrific way and the quality of the jewellery we have found suggests that the owner would have been in this category but there is no direct evidence to indicate she ended up in a sacred grove.'

The Boudiccan sacking and burning of Colchester left in its wake a distinctive red and black layer of debris up to half a metre thick across the centre of much of modern-day Colchester. 

The Boudiccan sacking and burning of Colchester left in its wake a distinctive red and black layer of debris up to half a metre thick across the centre of much of modern-day Colchester (pictured left). This layer is still being examined by archaeologists on the site, which is part of the Williams & Griffin department store (right)

This layer – made up for burned clay walls - is still being examined by archaeologists on the site, which is part of the Williams & Griffin department store.

They explained that human remains are rarely found among such debris, but the latest excavation has already yielded part of a jaw and shin bone, which appear to have been cut by a heavy, sharp implement such as a sword.

Experts think that there could have been resistance from the beleaguered garrison at the site.

Dr Crummy said: 'We also discovered food on the floor of the room in which the jewellery was found, including dates, figs, wheat, peas and grain.'

He thinks it may have been stored on a wooden shelf, which had collapsed on to the floor.

Archaeologists expect to find more artefacts. The jewellery is now in a secure laboratory where it is being cleaned.

The fate of the hoard lies with the Coroner who will rule if the jewellery is treasure or not.

Colchester (starred) was the first target of the Boudiccan army and many of the townspeople were rounded up and sacrificed. The route of the army is pictured