Derbyshire And Nottinghamshire Portable Antiquities Scheme
About Derbyshire And Nottinghamshire Portable Antiquities Scheme
We record archaeological objects found by members of the public. Here you can find out about finds, events and news from Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire.
Derbyshire And Nottinghamshire Portable Antiquities Scheme Description
So far, more than 18, 500 objects from Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire have been recorded by the Portable Antiquities Scheme. There are also many other objects on the database that were found in other parts of the country by finders based in Derbyshire or Nottinghamshire. On this page you can find out about some of these objects, as well as news and events.
The Portable Antiquities Scheme is a national project to record archaeological objects that have been found by members of the public. All the records can be seen at www. finds.org. uk. Before the PAS existed many objects were being found, but not recorded. Few people besides the finder would have known of their existence and potentially important information was lost forever. The PAS database is now a hugely important resource for researchers and has helped to expand our knowledge of the past.
If you have found any archaeological objects and would like to have them recorded, please contact your local Finds Liaison Officer (https://finds.org. uk /contacts). Any objects that are classed as Treasure (https://finds.org. uk /treasure) must, by law, be reported to the local Coroner within 14 days of discovery or within 14 days after the day on which you realised the find might be treasure. Your local Finds Liaison Officer can assist you in determining whether a find constitutes potential Treasure and can report the find to the coroner on your behalf.
The FLO for Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire is Maria Kneafsey. Maria is hosted by Derby Museums and normally works at Derby Museum and Art Gallery. She also works in Nottingham two days each month. She can be contacted by telephone: 01332 641903 / 07508 858110, or by email: Maria@derbymuseums.org.
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Hoards of metalwork are a common feature of the Late Bronze Age (circa 950-800 BC) in Britain. They often contain weaponry in the form of swords and daggers, along with other tools like socketed axes. Some of the objects show little evidence for usage and may have been made specifically for deposition, others are deliberately damaged and broken. Various motivations have been suggested for prehistoric hoarding behaviour, ranging from gifts to the gods, collections of scrap for... metalworkers to reprocess, to a method for removing excess wealth from the community. This copper alloy axe (PAS ref: PAS-1EB110) is part of a hoard found in Nottinghamshire, belonging to the Ewart Park phase. It has a socket for attachment of a wooden handle and a cast-in loop which may have secured a binding for this handle. Axes are a key material expression of the Bronze Age, a time when large areas of ancient woodland were being cleared for farming and settlement. Stunning finds of organic materials from Must Farm near Peterborough have revealed socketed axes with their handles intact. You can see the hoard on display at the "Nottinghamshire Unearthed" exhibition which is currently on show at the University of Nottingham archaeology museum until 25th January 2019.
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By the mid-Roman period in Britain, bow brooches had gone out of fashion as a means of fastening clothing. Plate brooches depicting a range of animals, symbols and objects were worn more like badges. This plate brooch (PAS ref: DENO-893872) has a black glassy gemstone set within a decorative oval frame which shows traces of gilding. These oval types are particularly common finds in the East Midlands and East Anglia. You can see this brooch on display along with other items of personal adornment from Nottinghamshire at the "Nottinghamshire Unearthed" exhibition which is currently on show at the University of Nottingham archaeology museum until January 25th 2019.
It wasn't just Asterix shouting "BY TOUTATIS!", the ancient Britons did too! Silver rings inscribed with "T o T" have been found in the East Midlands and show that Celtic religion persisted after the Roman conquest. We have one of these "T o T" rings on display in the Nottinghamshire Unearthed exhibition on show until 25th January 2019 at the University of Nottingham Museum, Nottingham Lakeside Arts, University Park, Nottingham, NG7 2RD. Open Tuesday – Saturday 11 am – 5 pm and Sunday 12 noon – 4 pm. Closed on Mondays. Entry is FREE.
How was a local Iron Age tribe in Nottinghamshire associated with Ancient Greece and Alexander the Great? Come and find out in the Nottinghamshire Unearthed exhibition which is on show until 25th January 2019 at the University of Nottingham Museum, Nottingham Lakeside Arts, University Park, Nottingham, NG7 2RD. Open Tuesday – Saturday 11 am – 5 pm and Sunday 12 noon – 4 pm. Closed on Mondays. Entry is FREE.
The Nottinghamshire Unearthed exhibition has just gone on display at the University of Nottingham Museum. The exhibition showcases objects that have been discovered in Nottinghamshire by members of the public, such as this beautiful boar's head mount thought to come from an Anglo-Saxon sword.
The exhibition will be on show until 25th January 2019 at the University of Nottingham Museum, Nottingham Lakeside Arts, University Park, Nottingham, NG7 2RD. Open Tuesday – Saturday 11 am – 5 pm and Sunday 12 noon – 4 pm. Closed on Mondays. Entry is FREE.
This gold medieval angel of Henry VII was found near Ashbourne in Derbyshire. It is only the eighth angel of this king to have been recorded on the PAS database from the whole of England and Wales. The obverse depicts the archangel Michael slaying a dragon. The reverse portrays a ship with a cross for a mast. Find out more at https://finds.org.uk/…/gold-angel-of-he nry-vii-found-in-de…/
This year is the 15th anniversary of the PAS becoming a national project. To celebrate, the PAS has chosen an object for each day of the year. This week's selection is from Nottinghamshire! https://finds.org.uk/…/b…/pas-15-find s-from-nottinghamshire/
This beautiful Roman enamelled plate brooch was discovered by a detectorist in Nottinghamshire. Most brooches are missing most, if not all their enamel, are often corroded and are now covered in a green patina. They sometimes give the impression that the ancient world was a bit drab and dreary, but this brooch demonstrates how bright and colourful Roman jewellery could be. It dates to the 2nd century. The multi-pointed star is thought to have been an apotropaic symbol to protect the wearer from harm. PAS reference no. DENO-3B12F0 (https://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/ record/id/909463).
Bring along your finds to The National Civil War Museum - Newark Museum this Saturday between 10:30 am and 2:30 pm for identification and recording. Common objects like coins and brooches are just as important to our understanding of the past as gold and silver Treasure so bring them along too!
Don't miss the 5th Annual Nottinghamshire Local History and Archaeology Festival this Saturday (23rd June) at the University of Nottingham Museum. The Finds Liaison Officer for Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire will be identifying and recording archaeological objects found by the public and there will be plenty of other activities to get involved with. Details below:
Bringing together local history and archaeology societies from across Nottinghamshire, along with city and county... museums, regional archaeological units, heritage groups & reenactors and experimental archaeologists.
There will be reenactors and experimental archaeologists providing the opportunity for visitors to make prehistoric and Viking jewellery, learn about flint knapping, listen to historical music and storytelling; have a chat with a Roman, and be entertained by a medieval jester, amongst other things.
This year there will be a mixture of family activities and costumed characters from different time periods from the Palaeolithic to the post-medieval period.
There will be talks from 11am until 12.15pm. From 12noon-4pm visitors can drop in and look round the displays as well as getting involved with the range of activities on offer. This is a free drop-in event at Nottingham Lakeside Arts but the talks need to be booked on 0115 846 7777
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Phil and Meghan working their way through a late Roman coin hoard recently found in Derbyshire. Groups of coins (2 or more precious metal coins/10 or more base metal coins) from the same find are classed as Treasure under the Treasure Act 1996, so must be reported (https://finds.org.uk/treasure).
Today is the UN's English Language Day and the day of William Shakespeare's birth and death. Hornbooks were used as a tool for teaching children the alphabet from the 15th century to 19th century. Normally inscribed on bone, wood, stone or leather, the letters were protected with a thin layer of transparent horn to protect them, hence the term "hornbook". Small lead examples, such as this one from Pentrich in Derbyshire, have been discovered by metal detectorists, and may have been toys or small, cheaper versions of full-sized hornbooks. This one lacks the letters J and Z, indicating that it probably dates to before 1633, when Charles Butler's English Grammar first distinguished between the letters I and J. PAS reference no. DENO-C6E263 (https://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/ record/id/799268).
This weekend is your last chance to see the two gold coins from the Ashbourne Hoard displayed together. The discovery of the two aurei of Carausius was very important both locally and nationally. Carausius was a Roman general who broke away from the Roman Empire to form his own 'Britannic Empire' here in Britain between AD 286 and 293. Very little is said about him in the ancient sources, but coin discoveries like the Ashbourne Hoard have revealed important details about his reign. The coins form part of the exhibition 'Derbyshire Unearthed: Coins and Coin Hoards' at Derby Museum and Art Gallery, on display until 22nd April 2018.
There's only one week left to see the exhibition Derbyshire Unearthed at Derby Museum and Art Gallery. On display are coins and coin hoards discovered by the public in Derbyshire including this medieval gold quarter noble.
Don't forget to book your ticket to Sam Moorhead's talk: "The Ashbourne Treasure, the emperor Carausius and the First Brexit". The talk is this Wednesday 11th April at 2 pm at Derby Museum and Art Gallery.
https://www.facebook.com/events/158354148 209802/
These fascinating coins are currently on display in Derbyshire Unearthed: Coins and Coin Hoards at Derby Museum and Art Gallery until 22nd April. https://finds.org.uk/counties/derbyshire/ cromford-dollars/
A fascinating Family Day with a Roman theme. Drop in to find out more about local archaeological discoveries and join in with art and craft activities. The Finds Liaison Officer for Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire will be bringing a handling collection and identifying finds (11 am to 1.30 pm) alongside displays from local societies, and a pop-up museum from the University of Nottingham (10am to 1 pm).
Why were these coins ridiculed when they were issued? Find out in Derbyshire Unearthed: Coins and Coin Hoards at Derby Museum and Art Gallery, a new exhibition of coins discovered by the public in Derbyshire. The exhibition runs until 22nd April 2018.