Late 10th- and 11th-century cloisonné enamel brooches

AN ENAMEL DISK found in Suffolk in 1972 was the subject of a seminal article by Professor V. I. Evison, in which for the first time a group of Anglo-Saxon cloisonné enamels was established.¹ The current article is likewise concerned with a newly discovered cloisonné enamel, and the group to which the find belongs—a total of fifteen late 10th- and 11th-century enamels known to the author—is added in catalogue form. As three in the British Museum were originally published as late 4th century,² it is to be hoped that further examples will emerge from Romano-British and other collections as a result of the present publication.     

The Wirral Brooch: The Form,Distribution and Role of a Regional Romano-British Brooch Type

The Wirral brooch is a distinctive and easily recognizable type of Romano-British brooch with a distribution primarily focused on rural sites around the Wirral peninsula in the north-west of England. The article provides a brief catalogue of the type, investigates whether it is a truly regional form, and establishes its relationship with other contemporary brooches. The accepted dating of this brooch type to the second century AD is discussed as well as its function, typology and manufacture. The role of Wirral brooches in trade, fashion and identity within the northwest of Roman Britain is considered. In wider terms, this paper demonstrates an aspect of provincial material culture from an area often seen to be lacking in material evidence and highlights the importance of the data provided by the Portable Antiquities Scheme for new insights into the material culture of Roman Britain.     

Activity Areas,Form, and Social Inequality in Residences at Late Postclassic Zacpetén,Petén,Guatemala

Abstract

Zacpetén, Petén, Guatemala was densely settled front the Late Postclassic to Contact periods. During initial contact with the Spaniards and after the conquest of Petén in A.D. 1697, a group called the Kowoj occupied the area where the site is located. Excavations in domestic contexts at Zacpetén revealed that occupants of larger residences had greater access to resources. Many common trade artifacts such as greenstone, serpentine, and obsidian strongly correlate with residence size, indicating that inequality in spatial resources was associated with access to trade. The scarcest non-local items, including copper alloy artifacts, were limited to public ceremonial areas and the residences of the highest Kowoj elite. Instead of corresponding with access to trade, the possession of these items was related to high-level participation in the religious hierarchy. There are a variety of activity areas that were structured by a dualistic division in domestic space that was not overtly related to gender.     

‘St Peter in Volders’ and related base metal figurines resembling the famous statue in the Vatican Basilica

Abstract

The reappraisal of an old find from Volders near Innsbruck, Austria, prompted new research on a group of base-metal statuettes that are miniature copies of the famous bronze statue of St Peter in the Vatican Basilica in Rome. Their age has been the subject of debate. This paper examined several examples of such statuettes to solve the issue with the help of archaeometric analysis. The analysis of the manufacturing technique and alloy composition provided important clues on the dating of the statuettes and allowed the historical interpretation of the group as a whole.     

Beowulf and Archaeology

THIS SHORT CONTRIBUTION discusses an early medieval copper-alloy disc with polychrome enamel from Lincoln (England), held by ‘The Collection: Art and Archaeology in Lincolnshire’, and identified as a brooch dated to the 10th century and of probable continental manufacture. Only four brooches of this type are currently known, three of which were found in England, with a fourth from France. Following discussion of its stylistic characteristics and metallurgical composition, we discuss the implications of the Lincoln find for the understanding of the relationship between the area of the Danelaw and the Continent, highlighting a growing body of evidence for the popularity of continental ‘fashions’ in areas of Scandinavian settlement.     

Ceramic Petrology and the Study of Anglo-Saxon and Later Medieval Ceramics

Abstract

A SURVEY of archaeological ceramic thin sections held by institutions and individuals in the United Kingdom was undertaken in the early 1990s by the City of Lincoln Archaeology Unit and funded by English Heritage. Over 6,000 thin sections of Anglo-Saxon or medieval date (or reports on their analysis) were located. For the Middle to Late Anglo-Saxon and the post-Conquest Periods, these studies have confirmed that pottery production was carried out in a limited number of centres and that most pottery, including handmade coarsewares, was therefore produced for trade. The distances over which pottery was carried vary from period to period but were actually as high or higher in the Middle to Late Anglo-Saxon Period as in the 13th to 14h centuries. However, for the Early Anglo-Saxon Period (and the Middle Anglo-Saxon Period outside of eastern England) the evidence of ceramic petrology is equivocal and requires more study. These 6,000–odd thin sections represent a resource which could be used for various future studies, some of which are discussed here, and as an aid to their further use a database containing information on the sampled ceramics, their location and publications of their analyses will be published online through Internet Archaeology.     

On Medieval Earthenware Vessels

Abstract

Anglo-Saxon architecture was first securely identified in the early 19th century, after which its characteristics were progressively defined and discussed. At the beginning of the 20th century, Gerard Baldwin Brown assembled a corpus of the surviving structures, analysing their architectural styles and attempting to date them; this process was continued and refined by Harold Taylor, culminating in his three-volume opus (1965–78). Since then, many new discoveries have been made and detailed studies of individual buildings carried out, together with major excavations at Winchester, Wells, Gloucester, Jarrow, Wearmouth, Barton-upon-Humber and other locations. Research has also been directed towards the remains of painted decoration on stone and plaster, and on the small amount of carpentry surviving from the period. Consequently, the volume of evidence relating to Anglo-Saxon churches, their construction and decoration has increased enormously. In particular, there has been a growing realisation that these churches were not the ‘rude structures’ that they were dubbed by early antiquaries, but sophisticated in design and execution. Moreover, they were highly decorated internally, and probably externally too. This paper reviews some of the evidence gathered over the last forty years, mainly through archaeological investigation, both above and below ground. It concludes that we have hitherto underestimated the physical complexity and the architectonic and artistic qualities of Anglo-Saxon churches. It is now possible to reconstruct from ephemeral evidence a much greater understanding of the three-dimensional form and decoration of these buildings.     

A still worm from excavations at Carrick Castle,Argyll

Abstract

During 1993 excavations at Carrick Castle, Argyll, a rare item of distilling equipment was unearthed. Possibly dating to the 17th century, the copper alloy condenser or ‘worm’ is unique in design. Pollen analysis of an associated soil sample supports a use in the production of grain spirits. The technology of manufacture and historical context of the worm are examined in depth.     

A Holiday Journal of 1774

Abstract

Early illustrations of Ledsham church do not show carvings around the Anglo-Saxon doorway into the tower, and examination of the physical condition of the stonework suggests that it is unlikely that the carvings could have survived from the Anglo-Saxon period. The peculiar features of the doorway and its carvings are best explained by the work being a nineteenth-century replacement by the Victorian architect, Henry Curzon.     

On the Architecture of the Abbey Church of Dorchester

During 1984 and 1985 an area of over 1500 sq. m was excavated on Hartlepool Headland (NZ 528 336) by Cleveland County Archaeology Section. The results of this work will be presented in two parts, the Anglo-Saxon first, followed by the Medieval in a later volume of the Journal.

The excavations revealed two periods of Anglo-Saxon occupation, defined by a change from earthfast to free-standing structures. The earlier period, of earthfast construction, has been divided into four phases ranging in date from the mid seventh century to the first quarter of the eighth Century. Associated with the earlier period was a boundary complex of two phases of construction. This has been interpreted as a ‘vallum monasterii’. The backfill of the boundary was radiocarbon dated to c. ad 690 and contained metalworking moulds and crucibles. The latter included three decorated pieces which have added materially to the knowledge of early Northumbrian art and metalworking.

The later period of occupation saw the construction of free-standing, stone-footed structures. In some cases the footings had been inserted into earthfast structures of the earlier period. This site is interpreted as part of the Anglo-Saxon double monastery of ‘Heruteu’, comprising an area of workshops and living quarters. Occupation ceased in the last quarter of the eighth century.     

Gold,its Alloys and their Uses in Dentistry

Abstract

The historical and contemporary role of gold as a restorative material in dentistry is reviewed. The fabrication of fixed restorations by precision casting is described. The various applications and the resulting medical and technical requirements are discussed. Different gold alloy types are presented and described with reference to their composition, mechanical and physical properties, corrosion resistance and biocompatibility. Techniques new to dentistry such as powder metallurgy, electroforming and the use of pure gold direct filling are also discussed.     

An Outstanding Hoard of Gold Objects Deposited in the Late Saxon Period

Abstract

A HOARD OF FOUR GOLD FINGER-RINGS and other items discovered in West Yorkshire by a metal-detectorist is remarkable for the superb quality of the objects, their occurrence as a group and because some of the rings were probably never worn. Each piece is introduced and discussed against the relevant Anglo-Saxon, continental and Viking background, and a link to 10th-century Danelaw elites is proposed.     

Communication of Discoveries of Medieval Paintings,Etc

Abstract

Until 1965 Holy Trinity parish church, Much Wenlock (Shropshire), was believed to be wholly Norman and later. In that year it was proposed that the south chancel chapel and south nave aisle were Anglo-Saxon. Two vertical strips of squared stones, built into the upper part (a later heightening) of the aisle's south wall, were interpreted as Anglo-Saxon pilaster strips of the type later classified by Dr H. M. Taylor as ‘long-and-short’. If the upper part of that wall was Anglo-Saxon, the lower part must have been earlier Anglo-Saxon, and so must the chapel south wall, which is integral with the lower part of the aisle wall. The Norman nave and chancel must have been added to an-existing Anglo-Saxon structure.

We believe, however, that the aisle and chapel must have been added to an existing Norman structure, for the Norman nave had originally a south-east external clasping buttress. Structural and documentary evidence shows that the strips are probably of the later thirteenth or earlier fourteenth century. Moreover similar strips occur in another part of the church that is probably of that date or later. ‘Pilaster strips’ of ‘long-and-short’ appearance may evidently be looked for elsewhere in twelfth-century or later contexts, especially in the heightened parts of unsupported rubble walls.     

Normanising the North: The Evidence of Anglo-Saxon and Anglo-Scandinavian Sculpture

Abstract

This Study Probes the destruction of material culture to illuminate the introduction of Norman political authority into northern England. A brief overview of Norman destruction of churches provides the background to a review of the potential relationship of Anglo-Saxon monuments with memory and identity, in the context of recent discussions of monument reuse. Durham and York, the Anglo-Saxon monastic sites at Wearmouth/Jarrow, Lindisfarne and Jedburgh, and a selection of local churchyards provide case studies. It argues that some monuments seem to have been deliberately targeted, but a wider range of factors, all ultimately derived from changing political circumstances, can be identified that explain why sculpture was removed and reused. The paper serves as a platform for further debate about the significance of monuments in the Middle Ages, and as a contribution to the broader discourse within archaeology about their social meanings.     

A Deposit of Early Medieval Iron Objects from Scraptoft,Leicestershire

Abstract

A DEPOSIT OF FIVE iron objects found at Scraptoft, near Leicester, is interesting for the range of activities represented: woodworking, cultivation, harvesting and warfare. The objects are described and their dating discussed together with possible reasons for their deposition. Hoards of early medieval tools and weapons are well known in Britain, but iron objects seem surprisingly common on what appear to be Anglo-Saxon rural sites. The possibilities of ritual deposition and of these hoards symbolically representing the Anglo-Saxon economy are also considered.     

Short notices

AGERON, C.‐R. and MICHEL, M. (eds), L'Ere des décolonisations, Karthala, 1996, 516 pp., 170F., ISBN 2 86537 579 X

BRIAN, E. and DEMEULENAERE‐DOUYERE, C. (eds), Histoire et mémoire de l'Académie des sciences. Guide de Recherches, TEC & DOC Lavoisier, 1996, 449 pp., no price indicated, ISBN 2 7430 0148

CORRÉARD, M.‐H. (ed.), The Pocket Oxford‐Hachette French Dictionary, Oxford University Press, 1996, 784 pp., £7.99, ISBN 0 19 864534 1

CORRÉARD, M.‐H. and O'NEILL, M. (eds), Oxford Starter Dictionary, Oxford University Press, 1997, 400 pp., £6.99, ISBN 0 19 864527 9

DURAND, P., Poésies de Stéphane Mallarmé, Gallimard, 1998, 252 pp., 54F., ISBN 2 07 038939 1 (collection ‘Folio')

HAFEN, L. (ed.), French Fur Traders and Voyageurs in the American West, (Selected with an Introduction by Janet Lecompte) University of Nebraska Press, 1997, 333 pp., £13.95, ISBN 0 8032 7302 9

SOULEZ‐LARIVIÈRE,, D. Grand Soir pour la justice, Seuil, 1997, 175 pp., 110F., ISBN 2 02 032215 3

STEINBERG, P., Chroniques d'ailleurs, Ramsay, 1996, 190 pp., 92F., ISBN 2 84114 133 0     

Comments on Gro B. Jerpåsen: ‘Application of Visual Archaeological Analysis: Some Results’

Owing to their large number, gold bracteates should be well suited to form the framework of a style chronology for the Migration Period which is not based on typological development. Where copies from the same die appear in different finds they indicate contemporaneity. The relative time of production of the associated objects in the finds may be judged from the wear on the loops and rims of the bracteates. On the basis of this a sort of stratigraphy may be established in relation to which other objects such as relief brooches may also be placed.

The development of style should then be investigated through an analysis of the motives down to the smallest detail as well as an evaluation of their stylistic content. In both cases precise definitions should be applied. In the process of this work one may distinguish different workshops on the basis of consistent similarities, such as mirror image dies or specific rare details.     

A Donkey (Equus asinus L.) Partial Skeleton from a Mid-Late Anglo-Saxon Alluvial Layer at Deans Yard Westminster,London SW1

Abstract

A domestic donkey (Equus asinus) partial skeleton has been recovered from a mid-late Anglo-Saxon alluvial deposit situated below the present Westminster School at Deans Yard, Westminster, London. The remains have been radiocarbon dated to the 8th-9th century AD and, therefore, pre-date both the abbey of Edward the Confessor and the earlier foundation of St Dunstan. The skeleton is of particular importance as it is the only well dated specimen of its species recovered thus far in England from the Anglo-Saxon and Medieval periods.