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Description: | Large piece of naturally shaped quartz crystal, possible associated with a scatter of finds of Iron Age date. The quartz piece is broadly sub-rectangular in plan and D shaped in cross section. It measures 43mm length, 25.4mm width, is 14.3mm thick, and weighs 20.6 grams. The upper domed face has a series of linear lines; these on first examination would appear to be carved. Daniel Locket (Curator of Natural Sciences for Shropshire County Museum Service) has examined the quartz and suggests that the lines present are due to the nature of the growth of the quartz crystal rather than human hand. He, however, adds that quartz is a material which is found across the county but there are no areas within the vicinity of the findspot where it would naturally occur. Its presence may well be due to either riverine, glacial actions or of human intervention. If it was the later then it may be of some significance. The overall 'design' could be compared to either a seated figure or possibly a beetle of some type. The shape of the quartz crystal and the 'natural design' present would have made it appealing and it is not beyond the realms of possibility that it was deliberately collected, had a significant meaning to the owner, was curated as an artefact and finally was deliberately deposited. It has been argued academically that objects, both natural and constructed, can be imbued with a sense of meaning and have a history. Quartz was widely 'used' in prehistoric times and has been found within burial cairns and other domestic sites. It also occurs in an early Christian context in Wales, being found within graves and on the surface in churchyards. In the Christian context it is often associated with purity.
Original Image | Publisher: | http://finds.org.uk | Source: | Portable Antiquities | Identifier: | http://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/r... | Go to resource |
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