Dr Campbell Price examines a tiny artefact in the British Museum
that names one of Egypt’s earliest pharaohs.…
What is it? This object, thought to be at least 2,000 years old, is believed to be a stringed musical instrument. The artefact is made from a single piece of deer antler and is c.353mm long, with a diameter of 12.96mm, and a maximum breadth of 25.31mm. The antler has…
This is a copper-alloy brooch that was discovered in East Lindsey, Lincolnshire, in March. It dates to the later Roman period, sometime during the 3rd century AD. The body of the lion is composed of one long, narrow plate with a short forelimb and elongated hindlimb, giving the impression that…
In this issue, Dr Campbell Price describes an intriguing Predynastic artefact in the Brooklyn Museum.…
This late medieval silver-gilt strap-end was recently featured in the British Museum’s Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS) and Treasure annual reports. It was discovered in October 2021 by a metal-detectorist in the parish of Worldham in East Hampshire. Dating to around the 14th century, the strap-end is elaborately decorated with panels…
What is it? This 2,100-year-old piece of bronze sheet cut into the shape of a life-size right hand has been dubbed the ‘Hand of Irulegi’, after the site in Spain where it was found. The hand is 143mm tall, 128mm wide, and 1.09mm thick, and weighs about 36g. A perforation…
This is a Romano-British figurine of a chubby, naked boy, known as a putto. Although discovered in 2019 in Cox Green in Windsor and Maidenhead, it was recently highlighted in the latest Portable Antiquities Scheme annual report. It is made of copper-alloy and depicts a cherubic boy in a seated…
In each issue of Ancient Egypt magazine, Dr Campbell Price describes a key artefact from Egyptology collections around the world. His choice for AE 135 is from the Metropolitan Museum of Art (MMA).…
This pendant, known as a bulla, was found by a metal-detectorist in the Melton district of Leicestershire in November 2021. It is hemispherical in shape and formed of two plain gold sheets, one formed into a hollow dome and the other flat, to serve as the back plate, with a…
Until now, inscriptions found in the Canaanite alphabet have been limited to two or three words; this is the first meaningful Canaanite inscription found in Israel.…
This copper-alloy disc brooch, measuring approximately 27mm in diameter, was found last year by a metal-detectorist in the parish of Thirkleby High and Low with Osgodby, just north of York. It is decorated with a red enamel bird, which is seen standing on three-toed feet, looking back over its shoulder…
The garment comes from the Palmwood Wreck, which was discovered in 2014 off the Texel coastline.…
This is a rare find – at least within Britain – that was recently discovered by archaeologists from Pre-Construct Archaeology at Bermondsey Square in Bermondsey, London. It is a stoneware lion figurine, probably Chinese in origin, but was found in a domestic context. It is depicted in a sejant, or…
A detailed look at one of four coffinettes which held the king's mummified organs.…
In each issue of Ancient Egypt magazine, Dr Campbell Price describes a key artefact from Egyptology collections around the world. His choice for AE 134 is from the internationally important collection at the Manchester Museum.…
What is it? This collection of decorated ivory plaques found in Jerusalem was probably once inlaid in a piece of ornate wooden furniture. The plaques, which are believed to date to the 8th-7th centuries BC, were discovered broken into many fragments, but conservators were able to piece them back together…
This is the mouthpiece of a Roman instrument, called a cornu (plural, cornua), which was found during an excavation at Vindolanda this past May. It was recovered deep under the remains of a schola – an officers’ mess and club where middle-ranked soldiers would dine and socialise – along with…
This is the terminal of a medieval staff, which was recently discovered by a metal-detectorist near St Mary in the Marsh, Kent. Many similar objects have been identified over the centuries across England – including several examples recorded by the Portable Antiquities Scheme.…
What is it? This small, carved figurine depicting a falconer was discovered in Oslo, Norway. The object, made of bone, antler, or walrus tooth, is 7.5cm long, with a flat, oval cross-section. The lower half of the figurine is hollow, suggesting that it was designed to function as a handle…
This is a copper-alloy strap fitting in the shape of a jester’s head. It was recently found by a metal-detectorist near Warrington in Cheshire. Although the exact date is uncertain, the late Geoff Egan, in his assessment of a similar example found near the Malvern Hills in Worcestershire, suggested that…