This Roman bracelet with punched ring-and-dot decoration is complete making it a remarkable survival. The majority of Roman bracelets recorded with the PAS are fragmentary. #FindsFriday finds.org.uk/database/art...
Happy birthday to Constantine I who was born #OTD in AD 272 and who's coins could single-handedly keep the PAS in business. This nummus, minted in London, with a reverse type depicting the god Sol, the personification of the Sun, is a commonly recorded type. #FindsFriday finds.org.uk/database/art...
King Edward VI of England was crowned #OTD in 1547 following the death of his father Henry VIII. This shilling of Edward VI was issued in 1549 with a legend reading ‘The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life’ followed by the date 1549 in numerals MDXLIX. #FindsFriday finds.org.uk/database/art...
Love is a mystery and so is this recently recorded object; a possible love token or pendant in the shape of a heart complete with piercing arrow. We're not sure what it would originally have been part of but stylistically it appears medieval. #FindsFriday #Valentines finds.org.uk/database/art...
This is a Roman slide bolt lock. These formed part of a tumbler lock where the key teeth would slide into the bolt cut-outs & release the lock from underneath. As most lock fragments are copper-alloy it's likely they formed small locks for boxes & cupboards. #FindsFriday finds.org.uk/database/art...
This head from a Corpus figure of Christ was likely attached to a cross & produced in the Limoges area in Central France. Around 1100 Limoges crosses & fragments made c.1150 & 1350 now survive representing c.1/10th those originally made (Campbell 2025: 35) #FindsFriday finds.org.uk/database/art...
Headstud brooches, like this, are one of the most common, best-known & longest-lived types from Roman Britain. They're a native British type, probably manufactured by groups of travelling craftsfolk, & are most frequently found in the north of England. #FindsFriday finds.org.uk/database/art...
The title Augustus was given to Gaius Julius Caesar Octavian by the Roman Senate #OTD in 27BC making him the first Roman Emperor. This denarius of Augustus issued in 19-18 BC shows two laurel branches, the traditional symbols of victory. #FindsFriday finds.org.uk/database/art...
This Iron Age/Roman bovine mount is cast as bull’s head. It’s a Type 8b which is the most common of these vessel fittings, totalling c.40% of all known. They've a wide date range as we lack contextual evidence for them and cluster in the midlands and north. finds.org.uk/database/art... #FindsFriday
Next week is the 18th anniversary of the discovery of the Vale of York Hoard. It was acquired by the Yorkshire Museum where it is currently on display as part of the Viking North exhibition. Cake courtesy of Amy Downes, the recording FLO. #FindsFriday finds.org.uk/database/art...
This beautiful ring is inscribed with the names the three Magi, Jasper, Melchior & Balthazar. These names are often found on medieval jewellery & were considered to convey protective or magical qualities against sickness, particularly fever & epilepsy. #FindsFriday finds.org.uk/database/art...
This spoon terminal depicts Mary & baby Jesus. It's from a set of Apostle Spoons which would include all twelve Apostles, & Jesus or Mary. They were commonly given as Christening gifts & made from silver, with cheaper pewter or copper examples also known. #FindsFriday finds.org.uk/database/art...
Absolutely over the moon that the York MeRit Project was picked as runner up in the award for Engagement and Collaboration by the Society of Museum Archaeology. I'm super proud of this one and all the people who made it happen. socmusarch.org.uk/conference/
The is one half of a Roman cosmetic set. It is a mortar which would have paired with a pestle & used for grinding small quantities of powders for cosmetic or medicinal use. They are thought to be a British phenomenon with origin in the pre-Roman Iron Age. #FindsFriday finds.org.uk/database/art...
This is a somewhat squashed Roman penannular brooch. This distribution of this type of brooch focuses on Roman military sites & by towns. The use of humped pins is concentrated in the north of Britain. #FindsFriday finds.org.uk/database/art...
This Iron Age/Roman enamelled stud may once have decorated the hilt of a sword. Red glass, coral & stone features in a range of weapons as well as chariot fittings, pendants & brooches. Chequerboard enamel is also seen on Roman button & loop fasteners. #FindsFriday finds.org.uk/database/art...
This is a shilling of William III. These are often found worn smooth & bent into an S-shape & interpreted as love tokens but their significance is not understood, Traditional 'love tokens' were inscribed with a name, but most of these coins are uninscribed. #FindsFriday finds.org.uk/database/art...
These are often mistaken for Early-Medieval pins but they are medieval strap ends. Only one published example is known from a 14th-15th-century context in Hartlepool. Some feature a terminal cross as on 13th-14th-century strap-ends. #FindsFriday finds.org.uk/database/art...
This lovely gold coin is an Ecu d'or au Soleil du Dauphine of Francis I of France dating to c.AD 1515 - 1528. The reverse depicts the quartered field of France-Dauphiné, under a sun. It was minted in Crémieu, southeastern France. #FindsFriday finds.org.uk/database/art...
An excellent and detailed thread from @trixranderson.bsky.social on the discovery of a wonderful assemblage which shows what can be achieved when detectorists and archaeologists work together.
This 13th century seal matrix depicts a bird surrounded by a Latin legend which reads [FRA]NGE LEGGE TE[GE] and translates to ‘Break, read, conceal’. Most medieval matrices were made of metal, but ivory, like this example, jet, and soapstone are also known. #FindsFriday finds.org.uk/database/art...
This assemblage of Early-Medieval material was found by a metal detectorist. Realising the significance of the find, they stopped & followed our Emergency Excavation Protocol allowing the find to be professionally excavated, preserving its important context. #FindFriday finds.org.uk/database/art...
This amazing object is a Bronze Age palstave axehead c.1500-1250 BC. The axe would be hafted to a forked wooden handle held in place by high flanges & deep stop ridge. It is decorated with a trident-like shield design. #FindsFriday finds.org.uk/database/art...
This silver coin is a groat of Queen Mary dating to AD 1553 - 1554. These are often mistaken for Queen Elizabeth coins as they are often very worn. Tell-tale signs include the reverse legend and style of lettering. finds.org.uk/database/art...
This beautiful object is a Bronze Age barbed & tanged arrowhead, c.2300 - 1700 BC. Arrowheads often represent the pinnacle of flint working, requiring extensive detailed working to create the necessary shape. These Bronze Age examples are some of the finest. #FindsFriday finds.org.uk/database/art...
This Palaeolithic handaxe would be unusual in Yorkshire but is normal for Norfolk where it was found. The area has a rich flint industry with a variety of tool and flake types and sites ranging from c.900,000-500,000 years ago. #FindsFriday finds.org.uk/database/art...
Terret rings were rein guides on chariots or carts in late Iron Age/early Roman period. They were set in a line along the yoke in groups of 5. Examples are known from 3rd or 2nd century BC East Yorkshire chariot burials as well as the later 1st century AD. #FindsFriday finds.org.uk/database/art...
This is a silver (possibly silver plated) contemporary copy of a Roman denarius of Trajan (AD 98-117) dating to c. AD 98. The non traditional portrait and blundered legends show this to be a contemporary copy rather than an official issue. #FindsFriday finds.org.uk/database/art...
This Early-Medieval strap end is decorated with moulded zoomorphic designs featuring stylized animal heads. This design is seen on a selection of metalwork of Scandinavian & Anglo-Scandinavian origins, including strap-end mounts from Borre, Vestfold, Norway. #FindsFriday finds.org.uk/database/art...
The boar was a symbol of Richard III who died #OTD in 1485 at the Battle of Bosworth. Badges like this one from Stillingfleet, North Yorkshire, were worn by his household & followers. It was declared Treasure & acquired by the Yorkshire Museum #FindsFriday finds.org.uk/database/art...
