Recent Finds
Roman cetacean feast
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Read MoreAn east end monkey…
We have an unusual find from a site in East London – the severed head of a monkey from a mid-19th-century context. Our animal bone specialist Kevin says “Its wisdom teeth haven’t erupted so it is probably less than 6 years of age but definitely more than 2 years. I think it is likely to…
Read More19th Century Band of Hope Temperance Medal
We recovered a white metal medal during recent investigations in Gloucester. These medals, 39mm in diameter, were awarded to those who took a pledge of abstinence from alcohol. On one side the medal reads “Band of Hope Medal – Prevention is Better than Cure – I Promise to Abstain from All Alcoholic Drinks as Beverages”.…
Read MoreAn exciting find from Bermondsey Square
We have a wonderful rare find from Bermondsey Square – a moulded Chinese stoneware lion sejant figurine from a late 18th century domestic context. . This has been tentatively identified as an incense stick holder, 香插, xiang cha (‘incense device for insertion’) or possibly 香台 xiang tai (‘fragrance platform’). It’s 6cm tall and almost intact…
Read MoreIron Age decorated spindle whorl
A great find from Joel this week! This unusual, decorated chalk spindle whorl came from an Iron Age ditch at St Neots, Cambridgeshire. Chalk objects like this are very fragile and rarely survive.
Read MoreIcenian silver coin with a previously unknown die stamp – another first for PCA
We’ve had an amazing find this week from a site in Suffolk The coin is an Icenian Bury E type silver unit, of which Talbot (2017) records only 4 known examples. The reverse die of this coin (the side with the horse) is known on three of them, two of which are sub-classified by Cottam…
Read MoreA Roman Chi-Rho Graffito
Our Roman pottery specialist Eniko has written a fascinating article on this rare and significant find, just published in Britannia.
Read MoreThe Bronze Age cremation urn – an update
The Bronze Age vessel we found in April at Cholsey has now been micro-excavated, with potentially fascinating results. The beautifully decorated cremation urn was found deliberately buried in the centre of a droveway running through the site in Oxfordshire as an apparent votive offering. Scans confirmed it held a cremation, and the precise 3-dimensional model…
Read MoreFind of the week (so far!)
A delightful recent find from one of our sites in East London! This is a late 19th century spittoon; these went out of fashion when tuberculous became rife in the 1910s.
Read MoreFind of the week!
We’ve had another exciting find from one of our evaluations this week! This semi-complete urn, with decoration which commonly occurs on middle and middle-late Bronze Age pottery, and also (although less commonly) on post Deverel-Rimbury late Bronze Age pottery, contained a cremation along with these two copper-alloy objects. One of these, a hollow hexagonal tube…
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