This is my first post on the North East blog and so thought I would just update people as to the situation here in the NE.
I am based in Durham and visit clubs in the south of the region. Rob Collins is based in Newcastle and visits clubs in the north of the region.
I have been in post now for 13 months and am getting to know the area and the detectorists. I’ve had some lovely finds brought in, both from within the region and from outside. I hope to use this blog to keep people updated with some of the new and interesting things which are reported to me.
I am currently finishing off a part-time research masters (MLitt) looking at Roman Brooches and there is more information about this on the North West Blog as this is where I used to work before moving up to the North East.
My first find which I would like to feature is not Roman, in fact it is late Medieval, and lead; two words which may make people stop reading! However Geoff Egan who is the Medieval and Post Medieval Finds Advisor for the PAS was very interested in this little object. At first the finder and I had thought it might be a Medieval ampulla and with the mud plugging the top, possibly still containing some of its original contents. A quick email to Geoff though soon put us right. It was something that he thinks is much better than an ampulla, it is a small toy jug. Geoff has worked closely with the finds from London where they have huge amounts of objects and he has published widely, however one of his areas of interest is ‘Toys and Trinkets’ (also the title of one of his books). The jug is recorded on the PAS database as DUR-35B102 and it is even nicer for Geoff as it is still in its original shape, having escaped being squashed as the majority have been.
Although it looks simple and is not made from precious metal it is none-the-less another piece of the past which is improving our knowledge of material culture and how it differs or is the same across the country. The majority of Medieval and Post Medieval lead toys were found in London but the data recorded with the PAS is changing this and showing that these items were used all over the country, even if it was in smaller numbers.