Recent Finds

In archaeology, individual finds are valuable, but it’s often the bigger picture that tells the real story. Assemblages, or groups of objects found together, can reveal patterns of behaviour, trade, and chronology in ways that isolated finds simply can’t. Too often, limited sampling or tight excavation windows mean specialists don’t get the volume of material…

This large conch shell was recently found in a 19th- or early 20th-century deposit at a site in Shadwell, E1W. It’s been identified as a Giant Spider Conch (Lambis truncata truncata), a subspecies found in the tropical and subtropical Indian Ocean. At 34cm long, this specimen is close to the species’ maximum size of around…

This week’s #FindsFriday is a Mesolithic tranchet axe from a site near Chichester. Tranchet axes were essential tools in the Mesolithic, used for woodworking and other daily tasks. This one was found in a pit beside four parallel curvilinear features dating to the Early Bronze Age.  The site revealed evidence of thousands of years of activity,…

This week’s #FindsFriday is a silver fibula brooch from a Roman rubbish pit in Gloucestershire. The same pit yielded a wealth of finds, including Roman pottery, animal bone, and ceramic building material, alongside a small copper alloy pin and two pieces of copper alloy wire. Initially, patches of verdigris from the copper objects clung to…

Here’s Timothy, from the team working at the Tower of London, with a medieval gunstone – what a place to find one! This roughly shaped stone projectile was probably destined for a cannon, but since bore sizes varied, it would have been finished to fit the chosen gun. Gunstones were a vital part of medieval…

For this week’s #FindsFriday we have two fantastic coins of Cunobelin, dating to around AD 8-41. The gold coin is a Cunobelinus Wild type quarter stater, depicting an ear of corn on one side and a horse on the other. Gold’s resistance to corrosion has helped preserve it, despite 2,000 years underground. The bronze coin…

This week’s #FindsFriday is an unfinished Neolithic axe from Suffolk, known as a preform. There’s an issue with its butt end (the top part) which meant that, despite being nearly complete, it couldn’t be finished. Fascinatingly, the face in the right-hand image shows around three undeveloped points of percussion from being struck hard. It’s tempting…

This beautifully decorated 5th-century AD Saxon comb case, from a site in Essex, would have kept a fragile comb safe. The intricate carvings and animal head finials highlight the artistry of the period, suggesting that everyday items were created with aesthetics in mind. Click here to check it out from all angles in our 3D…