Total posts:
187
07/08/2010
26.04.10
Just a quick entry to say that we said goodbye to the hoard today.
Roger Bland, Head of the Portable Antquities Scheme, and Sam Moorhead, our Roman Coins Advisor, drove down in Sam’s car to pick it up. Roger rang first thing to say that they hoped to come down straight away, leaving us feeling slightly unprepared for how quickly it was going to leave us.
Before they arrived I had the opportunity to package it in slightly smaller boxes (although it still took up a huge amount of space!) and to show some of the bags of coins to colleagues. The Museum of Somerset very much hopes to acquire the hoard in due course, but it will undoubtedly still be some time until we see it in its entirety again here, so it was good to give everyone a chance to have a quick look until it disappears again.
We helped Sam and Roger load it into the car and they headed back after a quick cup of tea, keen to get back to London before their destination, the British Museum, closed. They apparently made it in time and Sam sent me a message saying that he only realised the sheer size of what they were dealing with when he saw how low his car was sitting as it stood on the museum forecourt!
It was really sad to see it go, but the story isn’t over yet as we have yet to announce the discovery to the public. However, it has been decided that the coins will be washed by a conservator and counted before we do this, to give us more of a story to tell – who knows, it might be the biggest hoard from this country ever!!!
07/08/2010
23.04.10
We arrived out on site first thing again. Dave and Aaron had survived the night in their tent and had disappeared to find breakfast.
When the protective wrapping was removed from the pot we were relieved to see that it looked exactly as we had left it the day before and We couldn’t wait to begin excavating it in earnest! However, first we had to take pictures of the pot in situ. Our intention was to photograph the excavation at every stage, allowing us to build up a sequence of images that would document our work and the evidence we were uncovering.
We took a number of shots of the pot exactly as we had found it and then removed the dish from the top, exposing a small mound of coins. Those around the edges had settled on to their side over time, whilst those in the centre were lying on their faces. We realised that it would be interesting to record features like this as they may prove to be important pieces of the puzzle when further analysis of the hoard begins following the excavation.
Interestingly, we had noticed on the first day that some organic material was emerging; packed closely against the edges of the vessel. We were unsure about what this was. Maybe grass or straw of some kind? We began to carefully
clean the vessel, so that this material and the fine condition of the pottery would be visible in the photographs. Once we were happy that we had taken enough photographs of the complete pot – an iconic hoard image – we then had to brace ourselves to begin the delicate process of removing the shards of the vessel piece by piece, exposing the coins inside.
In the meantime some visitors had arrived; Stephen Minnitt, who I had spoken to yesterday, and Naomi Payne, Somerset Historic Environment Officer, with her husband Simon Hughes (also an archaeologist). Having other archaeologists on site to offer advice was really useful, as this was the first time that anyone had been able to fully
excavate a hoard of this size, so it really was a learning experience for us all. Seeing the shocked expressions of those arriving was fantastic – despite our best efforts we hadn’t really been able to convey the sheer size of what we were dealing with over the phone! All stayed into the afternoon before reluctantly heading off.
News had also been spreading throughout the nearby village via the local pub and people began to tentatively appear at the entrance to the field hoping to catch a glimpse of the amazing discovery. We were more than happy for them to come and have a better look as everyone seemed really interested in the history of the surrounding area. Dave did an amazing job of keeping local visitors entertained, recounting the story of how he found it and explaining what we were doing. We also received periodic visits from the landowners, Mr and Mrs Sheppard, and several members of their family, amazed at what had remained hidden for so long in their field.
Meanwhile, Alan had begun to remove one side of the loose rim of the vessel. Half of the coins from the top layer, level with the rim, were then removed from the side that had been exposed and more photos were taken to show a cross-section through the mass of coins.
We were surprised at the fine condition of the coins we had removed. They were covered with thick, gooey mud formed as water had washed the surrounding clay into the pot over time. The majority had a green-brown patina and some were stuck together in clumps. However, we quickly rinsed and examined some of the loose coins and were pleased to see that once cleaned enough detail was surviving to identify most.
We then proceeded to remove the remaining section of rim and the rest of the coins from the top layer, followed by shards from one side of the body of the vessel. This final stage had us all holding our breath as it would be the first time anyone had seen the full extent of the hoard for over 1,700 years. As the pieces of pottery were peeled away like the shell of an egg, we were rewarded with the breathtaking sight of literally thousands of coins still moulded into the rounded shape of the vessel.
Continuing to take photos at every stage we began the laborious task of removing the coins in layers from one half of the vessel at a time. The sensation of removing handfuls of coins can be best described as ‘unique’! The mud surrounding the coins had taken on a greenish tint over time as the copper content of the coins had leached out, causing our hands and clothes to undergo an interesting colour change. The combination of gritty, slimy, green mud with cold, damp, corroded and often sharp coins, made the process of excavation fairly difficult and uncomfortable. We were also conscious of the need to excavate the hoard as quickly as possible, whilst at the same time taking care not to damage the coins, particularly those that were corroded together and could easily break. However, this was of course balanced with the excitement of working out ways of dealing with a fairly unique excavation.
As the coins were being removed Katie had devised a bagging system, which Dave was helping with. Naomi had kindly obtained a museum accession number for us (given to all objects/collections of objects to identify them as they are entered into a museum’s collection) from the County Museum and this, together with the layer number from which the coins were taken, was written on the plastic bags. Alan, with a little help from myself, was removing the coins, placing them in trays and then passing them to Katie to put in these bags. The bags were then quickly sealed and placed in the shade to prevent the coins drying out. It was hoped that they could then be sent to a conservator as soon as possible to be stabilised.
We were pleased with the amount we had achieved on the second day, but the sun was setting and eventually we had to down tools and secure the trench for the night. Alan had very kindly offered to camp out on this second night and we all had fingers crossed that we would be finished by the end of the following day.
07/08/2010
Anna – Day three
24.04.10
This morning was a little quieter than usual. Dave couldn’t make it until later as he was working and Katie was having a much needed day off as her partner’s children were going to be with them. So when I arrived it was just me and Alan. The morning light was beautifully clear and I had the perfect opportunity to take some shots of the site before we began working.
No sooner had we started when a couple from the village and their children came out to have a look. The kids were fascinated and it was easy to see why. Quite often it is difficult to interest younger children in archaeological excavations as the remains uncovered can be difficult to see, but there was no mistaking a big pot filled with coins sticking out of the ground!
The excavation was proceeding in much the same way as the day before. As we began to work out way further into the pot we noticed that the colour and condition of the coins was changing. Water began to fill the trench and we realised that it was leaking out from the hoard, the base of which had become permanently waterlogged. There was less mud in these lower levels, but the coins were more corroded and had turned an unusual orange colour; presumably the product of staining from the surrounding iron-rich clay.
Before too long more people began to arrive on site. The landowners continued to appear for regular updates. Their sister and brother-in-law, Mr and Mrs Blackman, had also visited periodically over the course of the excavation, but today Mrs Blackman, a local teacher, had a video camera and was keen to take some footage to show her pupils who were studying the Romans. What better way to get them interested we agreed than to show them evidence of Romans living on their doorstep! At midday Alan’s partner Jo, his son, and their two friends (also archaeologists) arrived with a picnic. They all stayed on into the afternoon and offered their help, adding to the growing crowd.
Excitement had been building as we neared the bottom of the vessel. The size of the hoard naturally depended on that of the pot and we had no way of knowing its shape until we had removed all the coins. Suddenly, however, the sides began to narrow rapidly and we realised that we had finally reached the bottom. I was so excited that I sent a picture to Katie, who I had been keeping updated all day. She promptly decided that she couldn’t miss out any longer and would come out with her partner and the kids. We were surprised at the small diameter of the vessel’s base and this added another piece to the puzzle - it was unlikely that it would have stood up unsupported when fully filled and so was probably buried to a certain point, before then being filled with coins.
Having everyone on site really added to the sense that an exciting event was occurring. It was very easy to imagine something rather similar happening long ago on the day that the hoard had been buried. The size of the hoard meant that it would have been difficult for one or two people to bury it alone. It also made it difficult to imagine anyone burying it in a rush or intending to come back at a later date to retrieve it. In fact the only way to get the coins back out would be to stick your arm into the narrow neck of the pot and scoop handfuls out; not exactly practical! So maybe it wasn’t a family’s savings buried quickly in troubled times, but instead it’s burial had been a ritual event with a community travelling to the spot together and sitting around joking, laughing and having picnics, with kids running around chasing each other, just as we had been doing today!
The final stage was the removal of the rest of the pot once we had cleaned and photographed the inside. It came away fairly easily, leaving a perfect imprint within the hole. The organic packing material was clearly visible around the edges of this and Alan decided to dig a little deeper just to confirm that it wasn’t in fact the remains of an ancient tree root that had grown around the pot. It didn’t appear to be so and we made sure we had plenty of samples that could be analysed at a later date to find out what kind of plant/s it was.
Filling in the hole felt like both a momentous event and a slight anticlimax. We had removed a hoard that had sat in the spot since the Roman period and which we already knew was going to add a huge amount to our understanding of this period. We had learnt an enormous ourselves amount along the way, both about this period in history and also about how to excavate such a hoard whilst preserving the evidence that it and its surrounding context contained. It had been an amazing three days of learning for everyone involved. And we were extremely pleased to have been able to share the experience with Dave and Mr and Mrs Sheppard and their family, who all contributed their considerable knowledge of the surrounding area. As the soil was shovelled back into the hole Dave threw in a couple of coins (foreign ones I think – just to confuse them!) – an instinctive reaction to mark the occasion, which we all understood and shared.
The coins and pottery were loaded into my tiny car, which almost collapsed under the sheer weight (the remainder of 67 bags of coins and several trays of pottery and organic samples)! I couldn’t tell everyone exactly what was going to happen next, but I promised to keep them all updated and thanked them all for their considerable contributions to a somewhat unexpected series of events and we all said goodbye for the time being.
07/08/2010
22.04.10
I was up bright and early to drive to the site this morning. We were off to a good start already – the sun was shining – meaning no worries about digging holes in the rain!
When I finally reached the field, Dave the finder introduced himself and his grandson Aaron, before describing his finds to me while we waited for Katie Hinds (the Wiltshire FLO) and Alan Graham (an independent archaeologist employed to excavate whatever we found) to arrive. He showed me the dispersed hoard of fourth century siliquae that he had found at the entrance to the field and then the pieces of pottery and loose coins that he had taken from the site of other potential hoard some distance away. The bits of pottery were odd because they seemed to be from the base of a vessel. What was going on? Were they from a pot that had been buried upside down? Or maybe there was a smaller pot upturned in the mouth of a lager one? When everyone was there we walked over to the site further inside the field to investigate further.
Dave began by revealing the carefully disguised (and amazingly small) hole that he had initially dug. We couldn’t help commending him once again for his restraint. It must have been so difficult to resist digging a deeper hole to investigate further! Luckily Alan immediately formulated a plan… he would dig a 1.5m trench around Dave’s original hole, lifting off the topsoil to begin with and take things from there depending on what we found.
The turf and some of the topsoil had been removed and we stool around the trench gawping at something sticking out in the middle. Katie and I had immediately recognised it as a Roman Black Burnished Ware dish turned upside down, as this is a type of pottery that we often record. Its centre was cracked and had caved in – just inside a few tantalising bronze coins could be spotted. In a rough circle around the dish was the outline of the top of a small pit, dug by whoever buried it originally.
Was that it? Dave would still have done the right thing asking for us to excavate the site to be on the safe side, but it would have been such as shame if this was all that had turned up as a result. However, Alan began to inspect the dish more closely and called us to have a look. It appeared that the dish was sitting within something wider – the rim of a much bigger vessel.
Alan got back to work immediately, following the line of the original pit, whilst the rest of us stood around speculating about what we might be dealing with (and wishing we could help more, if only the trench wasn’t so small…!). Did this mean that we might be dealing with a pot filled with coins, or maybe with coins only on the top? Perhaps the pot had something else inside and the coins had been placed above it as an offering before slipping inside when the top was cracked? The possibilities were endless.
Soon the shoulders of the pot began to emerge and for the first time we had some idea of what we were dealing with. The pot was getting bigger by the second as we dug further. In fact it was even bigger than we had initially guessed, as the neck was fairly narrow. If it was filled with coins then it could potentially be an enormous hoard.
With this thought in my mind I rang Bob Croft, the County Archaeologist, and Stephen Minnitt, the Head of Museums (who had dealt with coin hoards from the county before) to ask for advice, while Katie rang the head of the Portable Antiquities Scheme, Roger Bland, and our Roman Coins Advisor, Sam Moorhead. Everyone reacted with a mixture of shock and excitement and the views on what we should do were varied. Should we try to block lift the whole thing? A risky and expensive operation. Or should we excavate the coins in the ground?
Bob soon turned up on site after driving over specially and after lots of discussions and advice from Sam, Roger and Steve over the phone, we decided that excavation in situ would be preferable as we needed to get it out asap (to avoid leaving the site at risk). The main benefit of block lifting would have been the opportunity to carefully excavate the hoard in a lab to see if the coins we put in the pot in one go or in phases. Baring this in mind, we decided to half-section the pot and take the coins out in layers, to see if we could still achieve this.
Meanwhile, the landowner, Geoff, had arrived on site and we were able to explain why there was a big hole in the middle of his field! He was extremely interested and more than happy for us to continue with our plans. So with everyone on board we decided to begin this process the following day. Dave and Aaron kindly volunteered to camp out and protect the site overnight. A huge help as it meant we didn’t need to worry about security! And the rest of us went home to get some rest before another early start the next day…
03/29/2010
Getting access to your finds
Building the Scheme’s new database was fraught with a huge array of privacy problems ranging from findspot to personal details. The Scheme takes this very seriously, but we do recognise that our registered users have always had a desire to get access to their records that the Scheme has recorded on their behalf. Many finders have hundreds of objects, some just have one; but, they all would like to be able to access these without searching for them/
What has been done is pretty simple and we need to do a few things before you can access your finds easily (and this obviously only works for those that have recorded!) These are:
- Register for a user account with us (if you don’t have one already)
- Contact your local finds liaison officer and tell them your user name
- They then link your user account to the details that we safeguard on our database
- Voila, next time you login, you have access to your finds (published and those on validation) from your logged in area. Look for the link that says “My finds recorded by FLOs”
Coming in the next few days to complement this are a couple of features:
- Mapping of your finds from your home address (if we have it)
- Distance travelled for your furthest discovery
- RSS feeds of your objects so you could embed them on your own site
Hopefully, this new feature will enable many to find objects that they could never retrieve from our old database. One caveat, as we have 17,000 people registered on the system, there maybe a delay enabling you.
11/03/2009
The Staffordshire Hoard, the most remarkable archaeological discovery for a generation, goes on temporary public display at the British Museum today, to coincide with the launch of the Portable Antiquities and Treasure Annual Report 2007; both events are being launched by Margaret Hodge, Culture Minister. Highlights of the hoard will be displayed, fresh from the earth, from 3rd November until the New Year in gallery 37, near to the famous Sutton Hoo Anglo-Saxon Treasure.
The Staffordshire Hoard is to be valued by an independent Treasure Valuation Committee by the end of November. Once completed a fundraising campaign will be undertaken to secure the hoard.
Culture Minister, Margaret Hodge; The British Museum; the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (MLA); Regional Minister, Ian Austin and West Midland’s local councils are united in their commitment to ensure that the Staffordshire Hoard has a permanent home in the West Midlands region. Highlights of the hoard will travel to the Potteries Museum in early 2010.
The Staffordshire Hoard is one of over 400,000 archaeological finds recorded by the Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS) or reported Treasure since 1997 (when legislation regarding the reporting of archaeological finds was last enacted). The scheme is managed by the British Museum on behalf of the Museums Libraries and Archives Council (MLA), funded through the Renaissance in the Regions programme.
The report announces that 747 cases of Treasure were reported in 2007 and a further 66,311 non-Treasure finds were recorded with the PAS on a voluntary basis, adding significantly to our understanding of the past. Without the PAS there would be no mechanism to deal effectively with finds found by the public and ensure the knowledge about them is disseminated for the benefit of all.
The PAS plays an increasingly important role in the operation of the Treasure Act. Since 2003, when the PAS was extended to the whole of England and Wales, there has been an average increase of 194% in the reporting of Treasure, to the benefit of museums across the country. Thanks to funding from sources such as the HLF, Art Fund, MLA/V&A Purchase Fund and Headley Trust, 303 finds reported Treasure have been acquired by museums. It is also the case that in 55 of these cases, one or more parties has waived their rights to a reward; up from 44 in 2006, and 25 in 2005.
Culture Minister Margaret Hodge said:
“The discovery of the enormous Staffordshire Hoard is incredibly significant for the understanding of our Saxon heritage. It also highlights the importance of the Portable Antiquities Scheme and the Treasure Act for ensuring that significant archaeological finds are properly reported and assessed, enriching our knowledge and understanding of the past. It is testament to the Scheme that the number of finds reported has increased year on year since the Act became Law, and significantly so since the Portable Antiquities Scheme was extended across the whole of England and Wales.”
Neil MacGregor, Director, British Museum said:
“The discovery and reporting of this find has been a wonderful example of co-operation by all parties concerned. From the beginning of the process the partners all agreed that this great find should be acquired by the West Midlands, it is excellent news that this is now going to happen. This is exactly what a national partnership should be. I am delighted that the hoard can be seen temporarily at the British Museum by a wide number of UK and international visitors. The story of the find demonstrates the PAS working at its best, with the British Museum leading on the academic and research side and Birmingham and Stoke leading on the acquisition. The continuing funding of PAS was secured just over a year ago thanks to unprecendented cross party support. As this report is placed before Parliament we hope that it will secure funding for this essential resource in the future.”
Roy Clare, CEO, Museums, Libraries & Archives Council said:
“The Portable Antiquities Scheme is a vital component of the MLA’s “Renaissance in the Regions” programme to promote excellence in England’s regional museums. We are delighted to be working closely with the British Museum and we are committed to the future success of the PAS at the heart of Renaissance. In particular, we recognise that finds from all over the country make an exciting and vivid complementary connection with existing collections. The public are readily engaged in the stories and all ages relish the significance for identity and for local places. People have responded with great enthusiasm to the recent exceptional discoveries; there have been long queues to view a selection of pieces in Birmingham and a positive start has already been made on raising funds to purchase the hoard from the Crown and later to interpret the items in their proper context in the West Midlands. The PAS has had another highly successful year; the MLA congratulates the many people who make it work so well.”
Regional minister, Ian Austin, said:
“I’m extremely pleased with the pace and commitment that the West Midlands is showing in working together to secure and support this unique find for the region.In the short time that the hoard has already been on display in Birmingham, it has harnessed an extraordinary emotional response from people in the region. The Staffordshire Hoard has the potential to play a huge role in the region’s economy and heritage; attracting people from around the world to Staffordshire, Birmingham and the wider region”.
For further information or images please contact Hannah Boulton or Esme Wilson on 020 7323 8522 / 8394 or communications@britishmuseum.org
FINDS IN THE REPORT
The Staffordshire Hoard will feature in the Portable Antiquities & Treasure Annual Report 2009. The current report outlines some of the finds recorded in 2007 including:
Cat. no. 101) Roman copper-alloy figurine of Cautopates. Date: c. AD 43-c.410. Found by Chris Hall at Newton Kyme cum Toulson, North Yorkshire, and recorded by Amy Copper (South & West Yorkshire FLO). Cautoplates was one of the attendants of the Roman God Mithras, whose Cult (Mithraism) was popular with Roman soldiers stationed in Britain. Mithras’ attendants, Cautes and Cautopates, represented opposing attributes of light and dark, or life and death. Despite the popularity of Mithraism very few metallic votive items and this figurine remains unparalleled.
Cat. no. 135) Roman gold lamella (sheet). Dates: c. AD 200-c.400. Found by David Livingstone in South Oxfordshire and reported to Fi Hitchcock (then Treasure Registrar). A Roman amulet with 16 lines of incised text, including ‘magical’ characters and an inscription in Greek to the ‘holy names’ to protect a woman called Fabia, the daughter of Terentia. It is apparently a charm to ensure safe childbirth. When found the object was tightly rolled, and is thought to have been a votive deposit. This is the third such amulet found in Britain, though lamella fragments are also known, and provides an insight to Roman religion in the third and fourth centuries. Acquired by the British Museum.
Cat. no. 217) Viking hoard. Date: deposited in c.AD 928. Found by Andrew and David Whelan in the Vale of York, North Yorkshire, and reported to Amy Cooper (South & West Yorkshire FLO). A Carolingian silver-gilt vessel containing gold and silver objects and 617 silver coins; some objects were found outside the cup. The cup is decorated with six roundels containing running animals in front of a tree or bush; apparently a hunting scene and probably represents Viking loot from a church or monastery in the northern Frankish Empire in the 9th century. The coins are a mix of Anglo-Saxon, Anglo-Scandinavian, Islamic and Carolingian types, and they allow an unusually close date for the deposition of the hoard. Acquired jointly by the British Museum and York Museums Trust.
Cat. no. 285) Medieval silver piedfort. Date: mid 1350s. Found by Mark Stonard at West Clandon, Surrey, and recorded by David Williams (Surrey FLO). It is uncertain what piedforts are, but it has been suggested they are pattern coins, guides for mint workers, or – more likely – reckoning counters for officials. This one, modelled on a coin struck in the name of Edward III as Duke of Aquitaine (1325-62), is the first to be reported under the Treasure Act, and is the third known. The British Museum has acquired.
Cat. no. 414) Post-Medieval lead figurine of Tom Molineaux. Date: c.1800-25. Found by Dorothy Hewison at Ryde, Isle of Wight, and recorded by Frank Basford (Isle of Wight FLO). Tom Molineaux (1784-1818) was born a slave on a plantation in Virginia, USA and boxed against fellow slaves whilst plantation owners wagered on the contests. After winning one of these contests his owner, Algernon Molineaux, gave him his freedom and $500. By 1909 Molineaux was boxing in New York and subsequently fought in England, boxing against English champion Tom Cribb in 1810 and 1811, and after which he became a celebrity.
Notes to Editors:
1. All finders of gold and silver objects, and groups of coins from the same finds, over 300 years old, have a legal obligation to report such items under the Treasure Act 1996. Prehistoric base-metal assemblages found after 1 January 2003 also qualify as Treasure. Treasure finds must be reported by law to the local coroner, which is normally done through the finders local PAS Finds Liaison Officer. The Treasure Process is administered by the British Museum. More information is available on www.culture.gov.uk or www.finds.org.uk
2. The Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS) is a voluntary scheme managed by the British Museum on behalf of the Museums Libraries and Archives Council (MLA) to record archaeological objects (not necessarily ‘Treasure’) found by members of the public in England and Wales. Every year many thousands of objects are discovered, many of these by metal-detector users, but also by people whilst out walking, gardening or going about their daily work. Such discoveries offer an important source for understanding our past. More information can be found on www.finds.org.uk
3. Renaissance is the MLA’s ground-breaking programme to transform England’s regional museums. Central government funding is enabling regional museums across the country to raise their standards and deliver real results in support of education, learning, community development and economic regeneration. The programme has received £300million since 2002, helping to make museums great centres of life and learning, which people want to visit.
4. Leading strategically, the MLA promotes best practice in museums, libraries and archives, to inspire innovative, integrated and sustainable services for all. Visit www.mla.gov.uk
The combined report can be downloaded as a PDF, an HTML version is unavailable due to the size of the document. (15MB)