The Finds Corner
In our second piece highlighting finds from Kent reported to the Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS) the Kent Finds Liaison Officer, Jo Ahmet, looks at non-metallic objects reported to the PAS in Kent. Anywhere you see a number proceeded by ‘KENT-’ you can use it to find the record on the PAS public database.
It can often seem that FLOs are obsessed with coins, buckles, brooches and the metallic finds familiar to metal detectorists. In reality Kent, like most counties, frequently sees ceramics and lithics, from keen-eyed detectorists as well as many other finders such as mudlarks (foreshore fieldwalkers) and fossil hunters.
Fig 1
Ceramic objects and fragments are perhaps the most common finds to most European archaeologists, and indeed they are a significant minority of finds we deal with at PAS Kent (roughly 2–3% of total finds recorded from Kent). Most such finds are scatters of ceramic fragments, oft-recorded in bulk in a similar way to site finds. About once or twice a year, however, we see complete, or near complete pots. Usually from coastal or waterlogged areas, though hoard containers or cremations are known.
Most commonly these complete vessels are late Medieval or Post-Medieval. Often these are of quite distinct and well-known types such as green glazed or salt glazed types like Bellarmine, although a Roman Samian ware bowl is currently awaiting recording. The vessel here, KENT-589236, is a rather lovely small complete jugglette dating c.1600–1850 and, unusually, has come from Spain or Portugal. It was found in Margate Bay just above the mean tide line (fig 1, previous page).
After ceramics, it is lithics which dominate many archaeological sites and indeed dominate the materiality of human history. In Kent we have recorded everything from Palaeolithic handaxes and choppers, through Mesolithic tranchet axes, adzes and microliths, vast swathes of Neolithic scrapers with the occasional fine early arrowheads spreading into the Bronze Age, topped by very scrappy late Bronze Age and Iron Age tools. One last group of lithic objects to be occasionally recorded are gunflints (fig 2).
Fig 2
Fig 3
Often, as gunflints tend to be dated c.AD 1600–1900, they fall outside the general pre-c.AD 1700 cut off for finds recorded with the PAS. This tends to mean that many of those recorded exhibit unusual morphology or features such as being found in lead wraps to fit the hammer lock of the firearms. KENT-AA1B15 is unique to the PAS database and indeed so far to Kent as it is a probable gunflint blank from which the gunflints could be produced. Most examples recovered seem to be directly related to gun producing areas, so this example from the wilds of east Kent makes it even more unusual.
Other materials frequently recovered such as glass, bone and depositional conditions allowing leather are all represented from Kent on the PAS database albeit in small numbers. Of these materials, Roman glass is often the most striking, since despite its age and frequently being recovered from coastal or riverine locations it remains in excellent condition. This fragment (KENT-E0F864) of early Roman cylindrical (c.AD 43–100) or square/rectangular (c. AD 43–200) bottle is an excellent example of such material and was recovered from the Medway Estuary (fig 3).
For more discussions on the unusual finds of Kent see our blog series ‘Kent is wyrd’ at https://finds. org.uk/counties/kent/blog/. If you want to keep up with where the Finds Liaison Officer will be, have finds to record or want to keep up with some of the discoveries being made in Kent. Keep an eye on the Archaeology in Kent Facebook page, Kent_Finds on twitter or drop the FLO an email to FLO@kent.gov.uk
Acknowledgements
All images courtesy of the Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS) and Kent County Council (KCC)