The Finds Corner
In the first of a new series, the Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS) Kent Finds Liaison
Officer (Jo Ahmet) discusses objects found in Kent.
Iron Age archaeology in Kent can often appear, on the surface, to be quite enigmatic despite the hard to miss Hillforts at Bigbury and Oldbury. While Iron Age farmsteads, enclosures and associated features are frequently spotted on excavations around the county, the metal artefacts of the period are less frequent. There is, however, one exception to this: late Iron Age coinage.
Our first object (fig 1) is one such coin, a secondary series cast bronze unit or Flatline Potin. These coins come into circulation c.125 BC, evolving from the primary phase of potins (c.175–c. 140 BC). These coins were produced by the Cantii tribe (who give their name to our county) based on designs from the Gallo-Greek city of Massalia, modern-day Marseille in southern France. They display the helmeted head of the Greek god Apollo on the obverse and the butting Bull of Massalia under the cities initials on the reverse. Fig 1, recorded on the PAS database as KENT- FFCC96, the design on these flatlines examples has become very abstract. This coin fits David Holman’s (2016) type B2/2-1a type and dates c.115/110 – 105/100 BC.
While potins may not be the most well-known of objects, our next find (fig 2) fits with a group of objects so iconic they even inspired the PAS logo, the Keystone Garnet Kentish Disc brooches. These fantastic objects combine the early Anglo- Saxon fashion for inlaid garnets and early Germanic animal art or zoomorphic decoration of style I. These brooches emerge during a period when all the surrounding influences of the newly emerging Anglo-Saxon kingdoms, continental Frankish powers and the fading memory of Rome combine to a produce a uniquely Kentish style.
This style would ultimately go onto influence those who produced the fantastic objects that make up the Staffordshire Hoard and Sutton Hoo Mound 1 assemblages.
This brooch is gilt silver and was found in the vicinity of other high status early Anglo-Saxon objects. They likely represent a heavily disturbed high-status woman’s grave and were reported as a treasure case at KENT-0AF0AE. What makes this brooch so interesting is that while mostly fitting Richard Avent’s class 2.4 (1975,
27) it has an outer group of three radial garnets usually only seen on later classes. This brooch was likely produced c.AD 550–575, with the garnets probably coming from Sri Lanka via the Byzantine Empire.
Our last object (fig 3) doesn’t belong to a group objects produced first time in Kent or an object symbolising the growing prosperity of the county but is deeply linked to Kent and in many ways the most personal of the three. It is a Medieval bronze flat circular seal matrix, a type we’d usually date generally to c.AD 1200–1350. Used to impress into wax to certify a document often the names on them are lost to time. This one, however, is different.
This matrix (KENT- 3C5592) bears the name of
‘+S’RADULFI•DE•SANDWICO•’, although written backwards so it would appear the correct way around when used. It also bears a coat of arms which can often help identify the owner. In this case, however, the arms proved (initially) to be a little tricky, and it was thanks to some excellent research by the finder that the owner was identified as a Mr Ralph of Sandwich, a former Lord Mayor of London, which meant we were able to narrow the date range for the coat of arms to AD 1260–1308.
Not only this but it was discovered that the matrix was found only a short distance from Ralph’s estate and the town of Sandwich itself.
The matrix now resides in the Guildhall Museum in Sandwich.
Top Fig 1 Middle Fig 2
Bottom
Fig 3
The Finds Liaison Officer can be contacted at:
Mike.clinch@kentarchaeology.org.uk
Or by phoning 02083048359
Orpington & District Archaeological Society (ODAS) Saturday 15th and Sunday
16th September 2018, 2–4.30pm (last entry)
Visitors to the Open Weekend can follow a self-guided trail around the moated manor site, see ODAS’ excavations, and explore the foundations of the Tudor kitchens and Great Hall to see how they would have been used when the house was owned by the
Walsingham family. It’s also possible to see World War II defences and a restored shepherd’s hut.
Admission is free and there are refreshments, a bookstall and an exhibition about the history of Scadbury.
Access is from the public footpath around the estate. The entrance to the site is where the footpath passes the moated site. The nearest access from the road is along the footpath at 14 St Paul’s Wood Hill; turn left along the circular footpath, five mins walk.
From Old Perry Street car park, the entrance is around 30 mins walk along the footpath. There is limited parking at the site for elderly/disabled visitors only, via the access drive from Perry Street. www.odas.org.uk
