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Description: | A Treasure case consisting of a pendant and beads of Anglo-Saxon date, from a grave, and two Iron Age coins.
2005 T540a
Gold pendant, three monochrome glass beads corroded iron fragments, garnet with separate backing foil.
(Grave no 10; SF 15-18, 20, 22 & 25)
E-W grave, near vertical sides and flat base; the bracteate and beads located in the area of the chest and head. The iron girdle hanger was at the centre of the grave against the southern wall.
The gold pendant (SF 17) is 27mm in diameter, with a filigree design in two concentric circles. The central setting is empty. It may originally have contained a garnet or organic setting such as bone or shell. The item has a single suspension loop. It is similar to a number of other pendants, for instance from Harford Farm, Norfolk. The current pendant belongs to a large group of related pendants, all of seventh-century date (see, for example, Geake 1997; Webster & Backhouse 1991).
The two smaller annular beads (SF 16+18) are translucent while the larger barrel (SF 15) is opaque. One of the former still has a wire fragment through its opening, suggesting that it was originally worn on a small ring. Beads on slip-knot rings, although also found in earlier contexts, are most typical of the seventh century.
A number of corroded iron fragments (SF 25) are difficult to identify without x-rays. They may come from a chatelaine. Alternatively, they may represent the remains of an iron key.
Additionally, there is a very small, hexagonal garnet with a now separate gold backing-foil (SF 20).
2005 T540b
Two silver Iron Age coins perforated for suspension at each end of a string of eight monochrome beads.
(Grave no 21; SF60-63, 69-71)
E-W grave with steep sides and a flat base; the beads and coins were located approximately in the centre of the grave cut.
Both coins belong to the North Eastern style coinage associated with a Late Iron Age people traditionally known as the ??Corieltavi??. The coins are likely to have been produced within a decade either side of the Roman invasion of AD 43. The normal circulation area of these coins, as indicated by finds, covers the modern counties of Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire and parts of Yorkshire just north of the Humber. The findspot of these coins would be the most northerly known, but if deposited during the Anglo-Saxon period this is perhaps less surprising.
The coins are of published types. One is inscribed DVMNOCO TIGIR SENO (BMC 3325-3327 / VA972). The second is inscribed VOLISIOS DVMNOCOVEP (BMC 3330-3336 / VA 978). The meaning of these inscriptions is not known. Both coins have been pierced for suspension, with the position of the hole indicating that they are likely to have displayed the wreath pattern on the front rather than the horse on the back.
Although a little lightweight, the coins are in exceptionally fine condition and exhibit no real signs of any wear. If deposited more than 500 years after their production they must have been extremely carefully curated or else originated from a coin hoard rediscovered shortly before the time of the burial. Scientific analysis suggests that the alloy from which they were produced (30-40% gold; 10-20% silver; plus copper) is comparable to that of examples in the Museum??s collection.
The presence of these coins is unusual, as Iron Age coinage does otherwise not seem to occur in early Anglo-Saxon graves (cf., for instance, White 1988, 62ff).
The beads: pale green barrel (1); green biconical (1), turquoise miniature ??melon?? (1); white barrel (1); dark blue bun (1); translucent blue bi-conical (1); dark blue bi-conical (1); orange-red bi-conical (1).
Silver wire rod: broken into two parts. The shorter part is thickened and ends in a small loop.
NB The site consists of a series of Iron Age buildings, and a current total of thirty Saxon grave cuts (see main site report).
Non-destructive X-ray fluorescence analysis of the surface of four of the items from Loftus, Cleveland gave the following results :-
Surface composition Wt
1. Pendant with filigree, no. 17 66-68% gold, 28-30% silver, + copper 2.63g
2. Coin pendant, no.70 28-30% gold, 20-22% silver, + copper 4.88g
3. Coin pendant, no.71 39-41% gold, 11-13% silver, + copper 4.71g
4. Corroded fragment, no. 19 99% silver 0.8g
As both grave assemblages contain objects that are greater than 10% precious metal by weight, and are older than 300 years, both qualify as Treasure under the stipulations of the Treasure Act 1996. The coins in 2005 T540b, perforated as they are for demonstrable use as jewellery, are considered to be objects, but would also qualify as more than one coin from the same context. | Source: | Portable Antiquities | Creator: | Collins, Robert - Portable Antiquities Scheme | Identifier: | http://www.findsdatabase.org.uk/hms/pas_... | Language: | en-GB | Go to resource |
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