Join us for a fabulous BONUS episode celebrating England's historic final in the European championship!

Never ones to be shy of jumping on a bandwagon, Hosts Lucy Shipley (Finds Liaison Officer, or FLO, in Devon) and Ben Westwood (FLO in Durham)discuss England and Italy related finds, plus the ONLY footballer on the PAS database!

finds:

Harness mount: https://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/record/id/1030698

Soldino: https://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/record/id/1026087 and see this search: https://finds.org.uk/database/search/results/q/soldino/denominationName/Soldino

and the footballer badge:https://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/record/id/792228

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The podcast from the Portable Antiquities Scheme - the PAS

Series 2 Episode 5: Law and Order: Special Objects Unit…

Episode 5 of our continuing journey through Shakespeare’s ‘7 Ages of Man’ [and Women!] brings us to the Justice, and where better to discuss a few objects linked to crime and (a lot of) punishment! We’ll also be taking the opportunity to take a little look at the ethics of antiquities collecting.

Hosts Lucy Shipley (Finds Liaison Officer, or FLO, in Devon) and Ben Westwood (FLO in Durham) are joined by a very special guest Dr Adam Daubney. Ex-FLO in Lincolnshire, and now independent finds specialist extraordinaire, Adam has written extensively on the ethics of portable antiquities. He also tells us the story of a very interesting hoard of Spanish doubloons

Finds mentioned week:

Devon Constabulary police button: https://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/record/id/1026734#

Toy handcuffs: https://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/record/id/975903#

Romano-British shackles: https://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/record/id/246137#

Hoard of Spanish-American escudos (Doubloons!) https://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/record/id/386995

Bibliography:

Daubney, A., 2017. Floating culture: the unrecorded antiquities of England and Wales. International Journal of Heritage Studies 1–15.

Grove, L., Daubney, A., Booth, A., 2018. Identifying sites at risk from illicit metal detecting. International Journal of Heritage Studies 24, 1038–1052.

Wiseman, R., Neil, B., Mazzilli, F. Extreme Justice: Decapitations and Prone Burials in Three Late Roman Cemeteries at Knobb’s Farm, Cambridgeshire. Britannia 1–55. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0068113X21000064

(music credit: Lukrembo – Bread)

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Series 2 Episode 4: Military Matters!

Episode 4 of our continuing journey through Shakespeare’s ‘7 Ages of Man’ [and Women!] brings us to the soldier, and so we’re turning to all things martial and military in this episode.

Hosts Lucy Shipley (Finds Liaison Officer, or FLO, in Devon) and Ben Westwood (FLO in Durham) talk about military artefacts and weapons on the PAS database, and discuss THAT Roman cavalry helmet with our very special guest Dr Mike Bishop. Mike has both figuratively and literally written the book on Roman Military Equipment (you can access his extensive bibliography on his website: https://www.mcbishop.co.uk/writing/), and it was a pleasure to talk to him!

Finds mentioned week:

Bronze Age Spearhead: https://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/record/id/1027365

Eggleston Bronze Age hoard: https://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/record/id/969299

Crosby Garett Helmet: https://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/record/id/404767

Bibliography:

Anderson, K., 2011. Slashing and thrusting with Late Bronze Age spears: analysis and experiment. Antiquity 85, 599–612. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0003598X00067983

Bishop, M.C., Coulston, J.C., 2009. Roman military equipment: from the Punic Wars to the fall of Rome. Oxbow Books, Oxford.

Breeze, D.J., Bishop, M.C., 2013. The Crosby Garrett Helmet. Armatura Press, for Tullie House Museum & Art Gallery.

Peltonen, M., 2003. ‘Civilized with death’: Civility, Duelling and Honour in Elizabethan England, in: Early Modern Civil Discourses. Springer, pp. 51–67. (available here: https://www.shakespeare4alltime.com/uploads/4/1/8/1/4181397/the_duel_in_elizabeths_reign_-_civilized_with_death.pdf)

Tracey, J., 2012. New Evidence for Iron Age Burial and Propitiation Practices in Southern Britain. Oxford Journal of Archaeology 31, 367–379. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-0092.2012.00393.x

(music credit: Lukrembo – Bread)

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The podcast from the Portable Antiquities Scheme - the PAS

Series 2 Episode 3: It Must Be Love!

In episode 3 of this series journey through Shakespeare’s ‘7 Ages of Man’ [and Women!] we’ve reached young adulthood and love and romance (although, as we know romance isn’t just for the young…).

Hosts Lucy Shipley (Finds Liaison Officer, or FLO, in Devon) and Ben Westwood (FLO in Durham) talk about Loving and Affection in the archaeological record and are joined by a very special guest (our first non-PAS guest!) Dr Bridget Millmore.

Bridget earned her PhD researching ‘Love Tokens: Engraved Coins, Emotions and the Poor 1700-1856’ and we’ll be looking at some of those love tokens, as well as a very special convict token. We’ll also be dipping into Posy rings, and talking about emotion in the archaeological record.

There’s also a nursery rhyme: ‘There was a crooked man, and he walked a crooked mile…’

Finds mentioned week:

Medieval diamond posy ring: https://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/record/id/940786#

Henry VIII [Durham] love token: https://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/record/id/925594#

Ordery Appleyard’s convict token: https://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/record/id/556879#

Bibliography:

Evans, J., 1931. English posies and posy rings: a catalogue. Oxford University Press, London.

Field, M., Millett, T., 1998. Convict Love Tokens: The Leaden Hearts the Convicts Left Behind. Wakefield Press, Kent Town, S. Australia.

Millmore, B., 2015. Love Tokens: Engraved Coins, Emotions and the Poor 1700-1856. University of Brighton, Brighton.

Tarlow, S., 2000. Emotion in Archaeology. Current Anthropology 41, 713–746. https://doi.org/10.1086/317404 [although we didn’t get around to mentioning it, a great reference nonetheless!]

Links to convict tokens held by the National Museum of Australia:

https://www.nma.gov.au/explore/collection/highlights/convict-love-tokens

http://love-tokens.nma.gov.au/

(music credit: Lukrembo – Bread)

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The podcast from the Portable Antiquities Scheme - the PAS

Episode 2 of Series 2: The Happiest Days of your life…

For episode 2 of this series we’ve moved on to the “whining school-boy, with his satchel “! Yes, we’re going back to school, which some call ‘The Happiest Days of your life”, while for others it’s more like Shakespeare puts it: “Unwillingly to school…”.

Hosts Lucy Shipley (Finds Liaison Officer, or FLO, in Devon) and Ben Westwood (FLO in Durham) talk about childhood and schooling in the archaeological record, and the resources the PAS have on their website for teachers and learners of all ages everywhere!

We're also joined by the Lauren Speed, who was (until last week!) the PASt Explorers Outreach Officer, and the person who produced the fantastic resources linked below (and much, much more).

Our website has a dedicated section containing all these resources, an area for schools to learn about the Portable Antiquities Scheme and explore finds from their local area: https://finds.org.uk/counties/schools/

Lauren has picked the focus objects for this week’s episode, which not although not specifically linked to schooling, are very interesting (and loosely connected, sort of…).

Finds mentioned week:

Figurine of Minerva: https://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/record/id/907063 (and Fortuna: https://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/record/id/899267 )

halfpenny of George III: https://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/record/id/1008110

Magdalen College School commemorative tokens: https://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/record/id/1001539 and https://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/record/id/959498

...and Lauren’s picks:

Palaeolithic handaxe: https://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/record/id/865770#

‘Doves type' stamps: https://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/record/id/1015348

(music credit: Lukrembo – Bread)

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The podcast from the Portable Antiquities Scheme - the PAS

….and WE’RE BACK!!! Episode 1 of Series 2!

For this series we’ve decided on a theme to guide us, and you, through some of the fantastic artefacts on our database. We’ve adopted a loose structure from Shakespeare’s famous ‘All the world's a stage’ monologue in ‘As You Like It‘: The ‘Seven Ages of Man’ (and, of course, Woman. Conkey and Spector even get a mention in this episode, and you can find their seminal paper ‘Archaeology and the Study of Gender’ here https://www.jstor.org/stable/20170176?seq=1 and here https://web.stanford.edu/class/ihum42/archgender.pdf )

In episode 1 hosts Lucy Shipley (Finds Liaison Officer, or FLO, in Devon) and Ben Westwood (FLO in Durham) talk about infancy in the archaeological record, and objects related to that ‘Mewling and puking in the nurse's arms’ stage in life!

We're joined by the fantastic FLO for Staffordshire & West Midlands, Victoria Allnatt, who has a special interest in the objects we discuss.

Finds:

child's leather shoe: https://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/record/id/961163

wooden "whipping" top toy: https://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/record/id/961167

Romano-British figurine of a baby boy: https://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/record/id/1015140

(music credit: Lukrembo – Bread)

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The podcast from the Portable Antiquities Scheme - the PAS

….and this is the Final Episode of this series!!

(But don’t worry, we’ll be back soon)

In episode 6 hosts Lucy Shipley (Finds Liaison Officer, or FLO, in Devon) and Ben Westwood (FLO in Durham) talk about how important volunteering is to the PAS, and about our HLF funded PAStExplorers volunteer project!

We're honoured to be joined by two fantastic PAS volunteers, Julia and Ann, who discuss their experiences volunteering with us and pick out some of their favourite finds they recorded.

There’s lots packed into this episode and so naturally a lot of links and info:

Finds

Roman box tile: https://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/record/id/955625

Early medieval sceatta coin: https://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/record/id/980369

Post Medieval dress hook: https://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/record/id/853682

Post Medieval domino: https://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/record/id/989283

Post Medieval token: https://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/record/id/983976

Post Medieval strap fitting: https://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/record/id/997626

Post Medieval 'treacle glaze' pot sherd https://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/record/id/964972

Roman chatelaine brooch: https://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/record/id/857193

Roman Knife: https://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/record/id/997532

And almost identical (complete) Chatelaine in the British Museum collection: https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/H_1991-0701-1

References:

Allason-Jones, L., 2005. Women in Roman Britain. Council for British Archaeology, York.

Hattatt, R., 2012. A visual catalogue of Richard Hattatt’s ancient brooches: reprinted from his fourth book ancient brooches and other artefacts. Oxbow Books, Oxford.

Mackreth, D.F., 2011a. Brooches in Late Iron Age and Roman Britain: Vols. 2. Oxbow Books.

Mackreth, D.F., 2011b. Brooches in Late Iron Age and Roman Britain: Vols. 1. Oxbow Books.

Artefact (and other) guides on the PAS website: https://finds.org.uk/counties/guides/

And the ‘Fashioning the Viking Age’ project Julia is working on: https://natmus.dk/historisk-viden/forskning/forskningsprojekter/fashioning-the-viking-age/

(music credit: https://soundcloud.com/lukrembo/bread)

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The podcast from the Portable Antiquities Scheme - the PAS!

In episode 5 hosts Lucy Shipley (Finds Liaison Officer, or FLO, in Devon) and Ben Westwood (FLO in Durham) talk Roman Coins!

We're joined in this episode a REAL expert, Dr Andrew Brown from the British Museum's Coins and Medals Dept. As well as being a Former FLO himself, Andrew is also a 'Finds Advisor' to the PAS for Iron Age and Roman coins!

Naturally, this weeks finds in focus are Roman coins, 4 of them!

Semis: https://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/record/id/903152

As: https://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/record/id/141186

Aureus: https://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/record/id/837209

Denarius: https://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/record/id/782857

Links to the some of the teaching/craft resources: https://finds.org.uk/counties/blog/tag/schools/

Andrew also mentions his first and last finds recorded:

First find! https://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/record/id/220820

First Roman coin: https://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/record/id/221288

Last coin recorded: https://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/record/id/1018774

...and that Fake Gold Aureus: https://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/record/id/654997

(music credit: https://soundcloud.com/lukrembo/bread)

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In episode 4 hosts we get to the PRETTY stuff (and we're not *just* talking about hosts Lucy Shipley (Finds Liaison Officer, or FLO, in Devon) and Ben Westwood (FLO in Durham))

We're joined in this episode by one of the Treasure Registrars, Amy Marsh, to discuss 'All that Glitters' (and quite a lot that doesn't).

This weeks object in focus is of course a Treasure find, and not just *any* Treasure find but one with magical and amuletic attributes::

https://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/record/id/924519

we also mention Edith Pretty and Sutton Hoo: https://www.britishmuseum.org/about-us/british-museum-story/people-behind-collection/edith-pretty

and the fabulous book 'Trinkets and Charms' by Dr. Eleanor Standley

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Trinkets-Charms-University-Archaeology-Monograph/dp/1905905300

Thesis on which the book is based is available here: http://etheses.dur.ac.uk/436/

(music credit: https://soundcloud.com/lukrembo/bread)

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The podcast from the Portable Antiquities Scheme - the PAS.

In this very special BONUS episode hosts Lucy Shipley (Finds Liaison Officer, or FLO, in Devon) and Ben Westwood (FLO in Durham) are joined by the head of the PAS and Treasure Professor Michael Lewis!

We're discussing the release of this year's PAS Annual Report, and some of the very special objects recorded with the scheme during 2019 (and the all important 'cover star').

The 2019 PAS Report can be downloaded from our website here: https://finds.org.uk/publications/reports/2019

links to the objects discussed:

The 'cover Star', an early medieval silver disc brooch, decorated with zoomorphic motifs in the Trewhiddle style

https://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/record/id/953697

The medieval rectangular copper alloy mount, with enamel and gilded decoration and religious inscription.

https://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/record/id/951629

The mount/modified shilling of Elizabeth I

https://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/record/id/984690

(music credit: https://soundcloud.com/lukrembo/bread)