Kent is a county with a rich and unique archaeological record. Situated as it is, surrounded by sea to the north and east, cut off from London and Essex by rivers to the north-west, and divided from Surrey and Sussex by the hilly terrain of the Downland and High Weald in the west, many objects in Kent’s archaeological record reflect its connections to continental Europe and the wider world, which were often as close as its links to the rest of Britain.
This fascinating region, which was one of the pilot counties for the Portable Antiquities Scheme when it was launched in 1977, is the subject of the latest in the 50 Finds series, which presents a county’s history through the artefacts discovered there.
The objects selected offer an insight into every period, from early Palaeolithic handaxes reflecting Kent’s position as home to several significant early hominin sites to Anglo-Saxon brooches with Frankish influences and post-medieval and modern military artefacts, highlighting Kent’s ongoing role as a key player in England’s relationship with the rest of the world in times of invasion, war, and peace.
50 Finds from Kent: objects from the Portable Antiquities Scheme, Jo Ahmet, Amberley Publishing, £15.99, ISBN 978-1445697826.
Review by AB.
