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Portable Antiquities County Blogs - revived

An archive of the old PAS blogs that went missing.

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Total posts: 187

1st World War Soldier

03/07/2006

Sometimes we get objects handed in that are of more recent historical importance. Last week I was handed a coin of Napoleon III which has been filed down and stamped with a British soldiers details as follows:

tag

GA FIRTH
37078
WES
2 LANC FUS

This is from private George Firth of the Lancashire Fusiliers, soldier number 37078. I’m not sure what WES stands for ~ perhaps WES as in religion WESLEYN?

The National Archives have some interesting documents online, including war medals, from which I downloaded his record. Anyone know how to read it?

People's Network Launched

10/20/2005

People’s Network launched

MLA, our administering organisation launched their new online services from England’s public libraries yesterday, entitled the People’s Network.

This is quite a colourful aggregator for information from disparate sources. Sort of an HEIRNET type idea, or online portals. I’ve found a few critical comments from Paul Miller today about this resource and I can see where a lot of these are going. For example: Thinking about the Future.

This facility is largely based on OAI techology, not something I am a great fan of. Our data was meant to be included, but I am not sure if this actually happened in the end, as their developers were having problems with their syntax for searching our database. The Scheme is actually missing from their links for archaeology, which is surprising.

MLA’s press office released their take on events here and we’ll no doubt hear more in the future.

I’ll add some pictures to this thread later on after I get access to the press area.

Lost Emperor

10/20/2005

Finding a Lost Emperor in a Clay Pot

October 20th, 2005 by daniel pett

Coin of Domitianus

One of the Scheme’s objects has just been featured in the American Institute of Archaeology’s magazine, aptly titled “Archaeology”.

This documents the discovery of the Domitianus coin, which you may hear more of come November 9th! I’ll let you wait for that!

Finding a Lost Emperor in a Clay Pot

The article does mention the Treasure Act, but probably points to the wrong place for it, the CBA pages. Instead they would have been better off sending them to our treasure pages which explain it for the layman.
I think Ian Leins will be amused that the numismatist or conservator has been called an archaeologist, as he is adamant that he is not and will never be an archaeologist.

The BM’s department of Coins & Medals webpages have their take on this coin here.

MIDAS XML Schema for PAS

08/25/2005

MIDAS XML Schema – PAS

The Scheme engaged OAD to write the XML Schema for the transfer of data from our database into regional Historic Environment Records. Documentation can be found here:
http://heritage-standards.org/midas/docs/object/
And an example can be found here:
http://heritage-standards.org/midas/examples/object_example.xml
This is still in the drafting process and will be formalised soon…..

Enamelled bronze pan

08/24/2005

Enamelled bronze pan

The Moorlands Patera or Trulla

The Moorlands Patera or Trulla

The Staffordshire Moorland’s pan has finally made it into Compass. There is a new description provided by my eminent colleague Dr Ralph Jackson, and some nice images, there’s also a nice zooming image that I created here Patera zoom.

An Experience Not To Be Missed Monday 15th August 2

08/18/2005

An experience not to be missed Monday 15th August

A fragment of gold runic inscription

A fragment of gold runic inscription

Monday 15th August

One of the forum members from Croatia posted the comment “Surely those are runes on the sides?” , Another poster said “the runic symbols on there seem to say that it was a gift to Odin and Tyr for a safe journey”………

There were suggestions it could be Viking Hack Gold, a part pommel cap, a votive offering to the Gods, a talismanic piece, amulet or charm, part of a finger ring, part of a Bridle. The academics on the Portable Antiquities Forum were also very complimentary about the find offering suggestions of what it could be – now this was getting to be exciting to say the least.

After a phone call to my local museum, I find that my Finds Liaison Officer isn’t in today. I decide to take half a days holiday tomorrow morning and hope that she is “in the office” and not out and about.

I need to hand this in to her as soon as possible because I am away from this weekend. The possibility of the find being Treasure means that I have to get it reported within 14 days..

There appears to be a great deal of interest in this little find – and I still have no idea what it is.


central unit (23) danish research (8) denmark (1) essex (8) finds advisers (1) frome hoard (20) hampshire (1) isle of wight (1) labs (3) lancashire (1) lincolnshire (13) news (3) north east (9) north west (20) north yorkshire (1) northants (9) oxfordshire (2) piercebridge (3) roman coins (1) roman numismatics phd (7) somerset (14) sussex (3) technology (1) the marches (11) treasure (21) west midlands (6) wiltshire (1)