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…
This Romano-British copper-alloy figurine was found last year by a metal-detectorist near Marlborough in Wiltshire. It weighs 98.5g, and stands 62.5mm tall. The figure’s head (which is much larger than the body) is tilted slightly upwards, and its hair is finely detailed, forming thick rows, possibly representing plaits, which are…
What is it? This small female figurine made of bronze is 14.7cm tall and weighs 155g. The figure has an egg-shaped head with a prominent nose, and a flat body with looped arms, two knobs on the chest signifying breasts, an indication of a vulva, and two slightly differently shaped…
A signature piece of kit for American GIs in World War II, the bazooka was a tubular, shoulder-fired, 2.36-inch rocket launcher. It fired a projectile bearing a shaped-charge warhead, which contained a hollow cavity lined with metal. On contact with a target, the shaped explosive detonated, sending a slender jet…
This 19th-century letterpress printing plate was found by a metal-detectorist, on cultivated land in Warwickshire, last summer. It is made from copper alloy, and – measuring 6.24cm by 4cm by 0.48cm – it weighs just over 100g. Rectangular plates like this were used in printing until the second half of…
This copper-alloy owl figurine was found last year by a metal-detectorist on cultivated land in the Cotswolds, and it dates to the Roman period, when owls were associated with the goddess Minerva. The 6.8cm-tall bird is perched on a round, flanged pedestal, which is hollow in the middle, suggesting that…
New research into the Venus of Willendorf has shed more light on the fascinating prehistoric figurine’s construction and its possible origins. The c.30,000-year-old statue is exactly 11cm tall and depicts a stylised, faceless adult female, with exaggerated sexual features and an elaborate headdress or hairstyle. A number of other Palaeolithic…
What is it? This 6th-century ivory comb, which may have been used by its owner to style his hair and beard, was found in a grave in Germany, in an early medieval toiletry bag that also contained a small pair of scissors for personal grooming. The ivory comb is approximately…
This small lion figurine, which probably dates to c.AD 1300-1500, was found last year by a metal-detectorist on cultivated land near St Teath in Cornwall. The 6.8cm-high animal, which is made from copper-alloy and weighs 173g, was most likely cast as a decorative element originally attached to one of the…