Lincolnshire Portable Antiquities Scheme

This week’s is a medieval cast copper-alloy strap end, depicting a human figure in the orans position, dating to between the 11th to 12th century AD.

The object is openwork with the central image of a human figure wearing a tunic with his arms raised above his head with bent elbows. This gesture is known as the orans gesture which was used as a gesture of prayer prior to folded hands which became the dominant prayer gesture in the 12th century. The orans gesture appears to have been a pagan tradition.

https://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/record/id/1247718

Our colleagues, the Historic Environment Officers, here at Lincolnshire Historic Places (team that includes the Lincolnshire Portable Antiquities Scheme), have been hard at work monitoring development on the site of a Roman settlement in Lincolnshire. Wessex Archaeology have uncovered some great finds!

This week's is an Iron Age uninscribed gold stater of the Corieltauvi tribe, dating to the period c. BC 60-20.

The imagery on this coin is heavily stylised, and features a wreath, cloak and crescents on the obverse, and a disarticulated horse, a sun, star and the arm's of a charioteer on the reverse.

The Corieltauvi occupied much of Lincolnshire and surrounding counties during the late Iron Age when England was home to a number of tribes such as Boudicca's famous Iceni tribe.

Horse's were integral to Iron Age communities at the time for every day trade and transport, and are often depicted in various forms of late Iron Age art, particularly on coins found across England.

https://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/record/id/1263801

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗔𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗾𝘂𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗦𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗺𝗲 & 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗘𝘂𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗻 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗡𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗝𝗼𝗶𝗻𝘁 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲
Free online event
June 2, 10:00 am - 5:00 pm

This conference, aimed at a public audience and archaeologists interested in finds and landscape archaeology, will highlight the value of public finds for study and research. It will include speakers from across Europe, focusing on metal finds and drawing on a broad chronological period from prehistory to more modern times.

https://www.sal.org.uk/event/portable-antiquities/

This week's is an early medieval pendant in the form of a Valkyrie, dating from the mid-ninth to late tenth century.

The object takes the form of a stylised human figure dressed in a trailing cloak or dress and appears to wear a headdress. A shield is positioned across the figure's body.

The style resembles other similar objects found in England and appears to have an Anglo-Scandinavian style. The object is a rare find and only a small number have been reported to the PAS.

https://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/record/id/1269740

Mystery Object Revealed!

Thank you to everyone who took part in yesterday’s Mystery Object competition at Lincoln Library as part of the . We loved seeing your ideas and guesses, including a fastener, pin, strigil, sword belt hanger, bridle fitting, hair pin, skirt fastener and even a poker. Two people correctly guessed it, well done to you both!

There were some brilliantly creative suggestions, but now it is time to share the answer.

Our mystery object is an Early Anglo Saxon girdle hanger.
These intriguing objects date to the 5th to 6th centuries AD and are most often found in female graves, positioned at the waist where they would have been suspended from a belt or girdle. They are sometimes discovered alongside pouches and other personal items, suggesting they formed part of a wider arrangement of objects worn and displayed.

One of the most fascinating aspects of girdle hangers is their shape. They are designed in a way that closely resembles a Roman key, which has led archaeologists to think they were meant to evoke that form. However, the delicate and decorative nature of these pieces tells a different story. Their fine workmanship and slender construction mean they would not have functioned well as practical keys.

Instead, they are believed to have been symbolic keys.
So, what might that symbolism have meant? While we cannot be certain, the consistent association with women’s burials suggests a connection to feminine identity and roles in early Anglo-Saxon society. They may have represented ideas of household authority, guardianship, or status, echoing the practical importance of keys while transforming them into something more meaningful and personal.

Thank you again for taking part, and keep an eye out for our next mystery challenge!

You can find more exciting artefacts including girdle hangers here at www.finds.org.uk The Portable Antiquities Scheme

Come and see us at Lincoln library today. We are here until 1430. Celebrating fantastic discoveries found by the public and recorded on the The Portable Antiquities Scheme

Bring out your finds!
Come see the Lincolnshire PAS team at Caistor Arts and Heritage Centre on Wednesday 10th of June, from 10 - 12!

We will be showcasing some PAS finds this Thursday at the Central Library in Lincoln! If you missed the Cammeringham Anglo-Saxon brooches display at the Festival of History, don't miss another chance to see them on display! Come along from 10:30am - 2:30pm.

It's Lincolnshire Local History Month, and the Central Library in Lincoln are hosting the Society for Lincolnshire History and Archaeology to showcase some of the amazing finds, and wonderful events that are ongoing in our county! Please do come along on the 21st May, 10:30 til 14:30!

This week’s is a medieval lead pilgrim’s ampulla, dating to c. AD 1350-1550.

Ampullae take the form of a purse or pouch, with this example missing its neck with the lower chamber remaining. One side of the object is decorated with a scallop shell motif, the other side appears to feature the Christogram ‘ihc’ which appears on numerous medieval objects as a representation of Jesus, with ihc being the first three letters of his Greek name.

Pilgrim’s ampullae were used to collect water, oil or dust from holy sites of pilgrimage. Their contents were believed to hold powerful properties and appear to have been used in ritual deposition to bless a field of crops for example.

https://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/record/id/1259759