The Portable Antiquities Scheme

The Staffordshire Hoard, the most remarkable archaeological discovery for a generation, goes on temporary public display at the British Museum today, to coincide with the launch of the Portable Antiquities and Treasure Annual Report 2007; both events are being launched by Margaret Hodge, Culture Minister. Highlights of the hoard will be displayed, fresh from the earth, from 3rd November until the New Year in gallery 37, near to the famous Sutton Hoo Anglo-Saxon Treasure.

The Staffordshire Hoard is to be valued by an independent Treasure Valuation Committee by the end of November. Once completed a fundraising campaign will be undertaken to secure the hoard.

Culture Minister, Margaret Hodge; The British Museum; the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (MLA); Regional Minister, Ian Austin and West Midland’s local councils are united in their commitment to ensure that the Staffordshire Hoard has a permanent home in the West Midlands region. Highlights of the hoard will travel to the Potteries Museum in early 2010.

The Staffordshire Hoard is one of over 400,000 archaeological finds recorded by the Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS) or reported Treasure since 1997 (when legislation regarding the reporting of archaeological finds was last enacted). The scheme is managed by the British Museum on behalf of the Museums Libraries and Archives Council (MLA), funded through the Renaissance in the Regions programme.

The report announces that 747 cases of Treasure were reported in 2007 and a further 66,311 non-Treasure finds were recorded with the PAS on a voluntary basis, adding significantly to our understanding of the past. Without the PAS there would be no mechanism to deal effectively with finds found by the public and ensure the knowledge about them is disseminated for the benefit of all.

The PAS plays an increasingly important role in the operation of the Treasure Act. Since 2003, when the PAS was extended to the whole of England and Wales, there has been an average increase of 194% in the reporting of Treasure, to the benefit of museums across the country. Thanks to funding from sources such as the HLF, Art Fund, MLA/V&A Purchase Fund and Headley Trust, 303 finds reported Treasure have been acquired by museums. It is also the case that in 55 of these cases, one or more parties has waived their rights to a reward; up from 44 in 2006, and 25 in 2005.

Culture Minister Margaret Hodge said:

“The discovery of the enormous Staffordshire Hoard is incredibly significant for the understanding of our Saxon heritage. It also highlights the importance of the Portable Antiquities Scheme and the Treasure Act for ensuring that significant archaeological finds are properly reported and assessed, enriching our knowledge and understanding of the past. It is testament to the Scheme that the number of finds reported has increased year on year since the Act became Law, and significantly so since the Portable Antiquities Scheme was extended across the whole of England and Wales.”

Neil MacGregor, Director, British Museum said:

“The discovery and reporting of this find has been a wonderful example of co-operation by all parties concerned. From the beginning of the process the partners all agreed that this great find should be acquired by the West Midlands, it is excellent news that this is now going to happen. This is exactly what a national partnership should be. I am delighted that the hoard can be seen temporarily at the British Museum by a wide number of UK and international visitors. The story of the find demonstrates the PAS working at its best, with the British Museum leading on the academic and research side and Birmingham and Stoke leading on the acquisition. The continuing funding of PAS was secured just over a year ago thanks to unprecendented cross party support. As this report is placed before Parliament we hope that it will secure funding for this essential resource in the future.”

Roy Clare, CEO, Museums, Libraries & Archives Council said:

 “The Portable Antiquities Scheme is a vital component of the MLA’s “Renaissance in the Regions” programme to promote excellence in England’s regional museums. We are delighted to be working closely with the British Museum and we are committed to the future success of the PAS at the heart of Renaissance. In particular, we recognise that finds from all over the country make an exciting and vivid complementary connection with existing collections. The public are readily engaged in the stories and all ages relish the significance for identity and for local places. People have responded with great enthusiasm to the recent exceptional discoveries; there have been long queues to view a selection of pieces in Birmingham and a positive start has already been made on raising funds to purchase the hoard from the Crown and later to interpret the items in their proper context in the West Midlands. The PAS has had another highly successful year; the MLA congratulates the many people who make it work so well.”

Regional minister, Ian Austin, said:

“I’m extremely pleased with the pace and commitment that the West Midlands is showing in working together to secure and support this unique find for the region.In the short time that the hoard has already been on display in Birmingham, it has harnessed an extraordinary emotional response from people in the region. The Staffordshire Hoard has the potential to play a huge role in the region’s economy and heritage; attracting people from around the world to Staffordshire, Birmingham and the wider region”.

For further information or images please contact Hannah Boulton or Esme Wilson on 020 7323 8522 / 8394 or communications@britishmuseum.org

FINDS IN THE REPORT

The Staffordshire Hoard will feature in the Portable Antiquities & Treasure Annual Report 2009. The current report outlines some of the finds recorded in 2007 including:

Cat. no. 101) Roman copper-alloy figurine of Cautopates. Date: c. AD 43-c.410. Found by Chris Hall at Newton Kyme cum Toulson, North Yorkshire, and recorded by Amy Copper (South & West Yorkshire FLO). Cautoplates was one of the attendants of the Roman God Mithras, whose Cult (Mithraism) was popular with Roman soldiers stationed in Britain. Mithras’ attendants, Cautes and Cautopates, represented opposing attributes of light and dark, or life and death. Despite the popularity of Mithraism very few metallic votive items and this figurine remains unparalleled.

Cat. no. 135) Roman gold lamella (sheet). Dates: c. AD 200-c.400. Found by David Livingstone in South Oxfordshire and reported to Fi Hitchcock (then Treasure Registrar). A Roman amulet with 16 lines of incised text, including ‘magical’ characters and an inscription in Greek to the ‘holy names’ to protect a woman called Fabia, the daughter of Terentia. It is apparently a charm to ensure safe childbirth. When found the object was tightly rolled, and is thought to have been a votive deposit. This is the third such amulet found in Britain, though lamella fragments are also known, and provides an insight to Roman religion in the third and fourth centuries. Acquired by the British Museum.

Cat. no. 217) Viking hoard. Date: deposited in c.AD 928. Found by Andrew and David Whelan in the Vale of York, North Yorkshire, and reported to Amy Cooper (South & West Yorkshire FLO). A Carolingian silver-gilt vessel containing gold and silver objects and 617 silver coins; some objects were found outside the cup. The cup is decorated with six roundels containing running animals in front of a tree or bush; apparently a hunting scene and probably represents Viking loot from a church or monastery in the northern Frankish Empire in the 9th century. The coins are a mix of Anglo-Saxon, Anglo-Scandinavian, Islamic and Carolingian types, and they allow an unusually close date for the deposition of the hoard. Acquired jointly by the British Museum and York Museums Trust.

Cat. no. 285) Medieval silver piedfort. Date: mid 1350s. Found by Mark Stonard at West Clandon, Surrey, and recorded by David Williams (Surrey FLO). It is uncertain what piedforts are, but it has been suggested they are pattern coins, guides for mint workers, or – more likely – reckoning counters for officials. This one, modelled on a coin struck in the name of Edward III as Duke of Aquitaine (1325-62), is the first to be reported under the Treasure Act, and is the third known. The British Museum has acquired.

Cat. no. 414) Post-Medieval lead figurine of Tom Molineaux. Date: c.1800-25. Found by Dorothy Hewison at Ryde, Isle of Wight, and recorded by Frank Basford (Isle of Wight FLO). Tom Molineaux (1784-1818) was born a slave on a plantation in Virginia, USA and boxed against fellow slaves whilst plantation owners wagered on the contests. After winning one of these contests his owner, Algernon Molineaux, gave him his freedom and $500. By 1909 Molineaux was boxing in New York and subsequently fought in England, boxing against English champion Tom Cribb in 1810 and 1811, and after which he became a celebrity.

Notes to Editors:

1. All finders of gold and silver objects, and groups of coins from the same finds, over 300 years old, have a legal obligation to report such items under the Treasure Act 1996. Prehistoric base-metal assemblages found after 1 January 2003 also qualify as Treasure. Treasure finds must be reported by law to the local coroner, which is normally done through the finders local PAS Finds Liaison Officer. The Treasure Process is administered by the British Museum. More information is available on www.culture.gov.uk or www.finds.org.uk

2. The Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS) is a voluntary scheme managed by the British Museum on behalf of the Museums Libraries and Archives Council (MLA) to record archaeological objects (not necessarily ‘Treasure’) found by members of the public in England and Wales. Every year many thousands of objects are discovered, many of these by metal-detector users, but also by people whilst out walking, gardening or going about their daily work. Such discoveries offer an important source for understanding our past. More information can be found on www.finds.org.uk

3. Renaissance is the MLA’s ground-breaking programme to transform England’s regional museums. Central government funding is enabling regional museums across the country to raise their standards and deliver real results in support of education, learning, community development and economic regeneration. The programme has received £300million since 2002, helping to make museums great centres of life and learning, which people want to visit.

4. Leading strategically, the MLA promotes best practice in museums, libraries and archives, to inspire innovative, integrated and sustainable services for all. Visit www.mla.gov.uk

The combined report can be downloaded at: http://www.finds.org.uk/documents/ar/Report.pdf (15MB) or in sections at:

http://www.finds.org.uk/documents/ar/AR2007_pg1_165.pdf – part 1 (1.6MB)
http://www.finds.org.uk/documents/ar/AR2007_pg166_289.pdf – part 2 (2.3MB)
http://www.finds.org.uk/documents/ar/AR2007_pg290_361.pdf – part 3 (2.3MB)
http://www.finds.org.uk/documents/ar/AR2007_pg362_413.pdf – part 4 (1.8MB)
http://www.finds.org.uk/documents/ar/AR2007_pg414_434.pdf – part 5 (1.5MB)

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As a deliberately late posting to try and save this server from going off line, what follows below has already featured on the hoard’s dedicated website which can be viewed at http://www.staffordshirehoard.org.uk and the image feed is at http://www.flickr.com/photos/finds/

The Staffordshire Hoard is an unparalleled treasure find dating from Anglo-Saxon times. Both the quality and quantity of this unique treasure are remarkable. The story of how it came to be left in the Staffordshire soil is likely to be more remarkable still.

The Hoard was first discovered in July 2009. The find is likely to spark decades of debate among archaeologists, historians and enthusiasts.

Leslie Webster, Former Keeper, Department of Prehistory and Europe,
British Museum, has already said:

This is going to alter our perceptions of Anglo-Saxon England… as
radically, if not more so, as the Sutton Hoo discoveries.
Absolutely the equivalent of finding a new Lindisfarne Gospels or Book
of Kells.

The Hoard

The Hoard comprises in excess 1,500 individual items. Most are gold, although some are silver. Many are decorated with precious stones.
The quality of the craftsmanship displayed on many items is supreme, indicating possible royal ownership.

Stylistically most items appear to date from the seventh century, although there is already debate among experts about when the Hoard first entered the ground.

This was a period of great turmoil. England did not yet exist. A number of kingdoms with tribal loyalties vied with each other in a state of semi-perpetual warfare, with the balance of power constantly ebbing and flowing.

England was also split along religious lines. Christianity, introduced during the Roman occupation then driven to near extinction, was once again the principal religion across most of England

The exact spot where the Hoard lay hidden for a millennium and a half cannot yet be revealed. However we can say that it lay at the heart of the Anglo-Saxon Kingdom of Mercia. There is
approximately 5 kg of gold and 1.3 kg of silver (Sutton Hoo had 1.66kg of gold).

The hoard was reported to Duncan Slarke, Finds Liaison Officer with the Portable Antiquities Scheme. With the assistance of the finder, the find-spot has been excavated by archaeologists from Staffordshire County Council, lead by Ian Wykes and Steven Dean, and a team from Birmingham Archaeology, project managed by Bob Burrows and funded by English Heritage. The hoard has been examined at Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery by Dr Kevin Leahy, National Finds Adviser with the Portable Antiquities Scheme.

The Coroner for South Staffordshire, Andrew Haigh, is today (24th September 2009) holding an inquest on the find to decide whether it is treasure under the Treasure Act 1996. If it is declared treasure, the find becomes the property of the Crown, and museums will have the opportunity to acquire it after it has been valued by the Treasure Valuation Committee. The Committee’s remit is to value all treasure finds at their full market value and the finder and landowner will divide the reward between them. Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, the Potteries Museum and Art Gallery in Stoke-on-Trent, and Staffordshire County Council wish to preserve the find for the West Midlands.

Sword hilt fittings

The Hoard is remarkable for the extraordinary quantity of pommel caps and hilt plates. There have been 84 pommel caps and 71 sword hilt collars so far identified. These highly decorated items would have adorned a sword or seax – a short sword/knife. Most are of gold and many are beautifully inlaid with garnets. Such elaborate and expensive decoration would have marked out the weapon as the property of the highest echelons of nobility. The discovery of a single sword fitting is a notable event: to find so many together is absolutely unprecedented.

Helmets

Parts from several highly decorated helmets are likely to be among the finds, although piecing these together is likely to take considerable time and effort. Among the most conspicuous is what appears to be a magnificently decorated cheek-piece decorated with a frieze of running, interlaced, animals. Interestingly, this piece has a relatively low gold content. This may be the result of being specially alloyed to make it more functional and able to withstand blows.

A beautiful figure of an animal is also possibly the crest of a helmet. Large numbers of fragments of “C” sectioned silver edging and reeded strips could also be helmet fittings. Similar fragments, made from base metal, formed part of the Sutton Hoo helmet, found in a rich grave in Suffolk, in 1939.

Biblical inscription

A strip of gold bearing a Biblical inscription in Latin is one of the most significant and controversial finds. Michelle Brown, Professor of Medieval Manuscript Studies, has suggested the style of lettering dates from the seventh or early eighth centuries. The relatively crude lettering may have been the work of someone more used to writing on wax tablets.

The suitably warlike inscription, mis-spelt in places, is probably from the Book of Numbers Ch. 10 v 35 and reads:

Surge domine et dissipentur inimici tui et fugiant qui oderunt te a facie tua ~ “Rise up, o Lord, and may thy enemies be dispersed and those who hate thee be driven from thy face”

The folded cross

The only items that are clearly non-martial are two, or possibly three, crosses. The largest may have been an altar or processional cross. Other than the loss of the settings used to decorate it (some of which are present but detached) it is intact. However it has been folded, possibly to make it fit into a small space prior to burial. This lack of apparent respect shown to this Christian symbol may point to the Hoard being buried by pagans, but Christians were also quite capable of despoiling each other’s shrines.

Possibly related posts: Harrogate hoard featured in Archaeology magazine • British Museum display Staffordshire Hoard to celebrate another successful year for the Portable Antiquities Scheme and Treasure Act • An experience not to be missed 23rd September •

A very large and important find of a hoard of Roman coins was recently discovered by a novice metal detector user in the Shrewsbury area. This is probably one of the largest coin hoards ever discovered in Shropshire. The finder, Mr Nic. Davies, bought his first metal detector a month ago and this is his first find made with it. The hoard was discovered close to a public bridleway on land that Mr Davies did not have permission to detect on. All land is owned by someone and it is important that permission to search is obtained in advance. The coins were placed in a very large storage jar which had been buried in the ground around 1700 years ago. They had lain undisturbed since then waiting for someone to find them again.

Mr Davies, excavated the hoard and brought all his finds to Peter Reavill, Finds Liaison Officer for the Portable Antiquities Scheme based with Shropshire Council Museum Service. Hoard’s such as this are covered by the Treasure Act, being more than 10 coins of less than 10% precious metal which have been deliberately hidden. By law all finds which represent Treasure must be reported to HM Coroner. The hoard of coins will be taken to the British Museum for detailed conservation and full identification, a report will be sent to the Coroner and it is hoped that the museum service will acquire them to be displayed in the New Museum planned for the Music Hall, in Shrewsbury.

From a brief look at the hoard there seems to be a minimum of 10,000 coins; the majority of which are corroded together in the pot. The finder did not touch the coins from within the pot and this will mean that staff at the British Museum will be able to excavate the coins carefully. This will enable them to know whether the coins were placed in the pot all at the same time, or were added to piecemeal over time. The coins are all bronze (copper alloy), and some of them have been silver washed. They are known as nummi (which just means coin) and were common during the 4th century AD. From the coins which have been provisionally identified they seem to date from the period 320 – 340 AD, late in the reign of Constantine I and the House of Constantine. Amongst the coins are issues celebrating the anniversary of the founding of Rome and Constantinople. In total the coins and the pot weigh in excess of 70 lbs. The pottery vessel is very large and probably used in the domestic part of a farmhouse as a large storage jar. It does not seem to be locally made. It is very fine being extraordinarily thin.

The finder marked the findspot and subsequently took Peter Reavill and archaeologists from Shropshire Council to the findspot. A small excavation was undertaken with the hope of understanding how the coins were placed in the ground. This was a success and it seems most likely that the pot was buried in the ground probably part full and was subsequently topped up before a large stone was placed on top acting as a marker. The top of the pot had been broken in the ground and a large number of the coins spread in the area. All of these were recovered during the excavation with the help of a metal detector. This added at least another 300 coins to the total. We now know that there are no more coins (or another hoard) in the area. The coins within the hoard represent some of the most commonly found coins from Roman Britain; most metal detectorists will have one or two in their collection. The importance of this find is the sheer number, or material wealth they represent. It is likely that the hoard represents a person or communities wealth, possibly as a payment for a harvest. Why it was not collected by the owner is a mystery – but one that we can share and enjoy 1700 years after the fact.

“This is a very exciting find and probably the largest coin hoard, at least in modern times, to be recovered from the County.” says Emma-Kate Lanyon, Curator for Shropshire Council Museum Service.

“The Treasure Act and Portable Antiquities Scheme is now nearly 12 years old and has vastly increased our understanding of Shropshire’s past by bringing finds like this to the attention of archaeologists. It has also provided the museums with the opportunity to acquire these artefacts for future research and display. The Museum Service will acquire the hoard with the intention to display it in the new Shrewsbury Museum planned for the Music Hall site in Shrewsbury. “

The coins will be taken to London for detailed study, a report will then be sent to the Coroner and the find will be valued by a Government panel. Thanks are extended to the Coroners Service, Shropshire Council, English Heritage and the British Museum all of who have contributed to this exciting find. For more information on the Treasure Act and the work of the Portable Antiquities Scheme either visit the website www.finds.org.uk, contact Peter Reavill on 01584 813641 or visit one of his regular finds days. If anyone has found Roman coins, or other finds I would be happy to see them – I have a finds day at the Guildhall, Newport (Shropshire) on Saturday 12th September between 11-2pm organised by Newport History Society.

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This is just an update on our next conference, being held in September. We still have room for people to attend. If you would like to add your name to the list, please contact Michael Lewis (mlewis@britishmuseum.org).

RECORDING THE PAST: HOW DIFFERENT EUROPEAN COUNTRIES DEAL WITH PORTABLE ANTIQUITIES

MONDAY 7 SEPTEMBER 2009
BP LECTURE THEATRE, BRITISH MUSEUM

PROGRAMME

This conference aims to gain a wider understanding of how different European countries deal with portable antiquities (archaeological small finds) found by members of the public and promote best practice amongst finders. The key questions that speakers will address are: whether there is a legal requirement for finders of portable antiquities to report archaeological objects and whether the state claims ownership of them; whether it is permissible to search for such finds with a metal-detector or by other means; how many people (in that country) are known to search for archaeological objects (legally or not); how many objects are reported each year; and whether the systems in place (in that country) work as well as they could or whether improvements could be made. It is hoped the conference will help identify the main strengths and weaknesses of the different approaches adopted by countries across Europe, in order to draw conclusions as to how best to preserve an archaeological record of finds found, develop best practice, and find ways to educate the public about the importance of such finds for understanding the past.

09:30 Registration
09:45 Welcome: Neil MacGregor, Director, British Museum
10:00 Dr Roger Bland (British Museum, London), The English and Welsh approach to portable antiquities: a perfect system or fundamentally flawed?
10:30 Dr Alan Saville (National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh), Little and large: portable antiquities and treasure trove in Scotland
11:00 Dr Cormac Bourke (Ulster Museum, Belfast), Found objects: the Northern Ireland experience
11:30 Coffee
12:00 Dr Eamonn P Kelly (National Museum, Dublin), Portable antiquities in the Republic of Ireland
12:30 Dr Johan Nicolay (University of Groningen), Metal detection in the Netherlands: the law and reality
13:00 Lunch (not provided)
14:00 Dr Martin Segschneider (Archäologisches Landesamt, Schleswig Holstein), Methods of cooperation with metal detectorists in Schleswig-Holstein – first results and experiences
14:30 Dr Mogens Bo Henrikson (Odense Museum), Detectors and Danefæ in Denmark
15:00 Dr Andrej Gaspari (Military Museum of Slovenian Armed Forces, Ljubljana), Purchase, compensation or reward? Abolition scheme for the illegally excavated archaeological artefacts between law and practice (experience from the Republic of Slovenia).
15:30 Coffee
16:00 Gábor Lassányi (Aquincum Museum), Metal detecting and the antiquities law in Hungary.
16:30 Prof Aleksander Bursche and Mr Maricn Rudnicki (Instytut Archeologii, Uniwersytet Warszawski), Metal Detecting in Poland – law and reality.
17:00 Discussion
17:30 Close

Bookings: please send a cheque for £15 payable and your contact details to The British Museum to Michael Lewis, Department of Portable Antiquities & Treasure, The British Museum, Great Russell Street, London WC1B 3DG. Tel: 0207 323 8611.

OpenCalais helped to tag this with: 0207 323 8611; • Alan Saville; • Aleksander Bursche; • Andrej Gaspari; • antiquities law; • Aquincum Museum; • Belfast • British Museum • Cormac Bourke; • Denmark • Department of Portable Antiquities & Treasure • Dublin • Eamonn P Kelly; • Edinburgh; • Europe • Great Russell Street • Hungary • Johan Nicolay; • Ljubljana; • London • Maricn Rudnicki; • Martin Segschneider; • metal detector • metal detectorists • Michael Lewis • Military Museum; • Mogens Bo Henrikson; • National Museum • National Museum of Scotland • Neil Macgregor • Northern Ireland • Odense Museum; • Poland; • portable antiquities • Republic of Ireland • Republic of Slovenia; • Roger Bland • Schleswig-Holstein; • Scotland • The Netherlands; • Ulster Museum; • University of Groningen;

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The Portable Antiquities Scheme is running a wide variety of events to coincide by the CBA’s “Festival of British Archaeology”. These range from finds identification days to Young Archaeologist Club sessions. To find out more about our events, please view the attached PDF, or visit the CBA’s dedicated site for the festival.

If you get involved with social media, perhaps you could tag your media with #FBA2009?

Event calendar

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