MY DREAM FIND

I squirmed, turned, and was very restless. Of course, there are detectorists who don’t dream at all and for those that don’t, they won’t benefit from my psychological phenomenon. Here goes …

After such a long time on the sidelines and ‘going’ on virtual digs only, I found myself swinging on familiar well-worked terrain, finding rubbish and all the other crap ingredients for making a 36 minute lack lustre video. Alas, my GoPro has gone and you are stuck with this rarer text account – remember those?

THEN IT HAPPENED 

I reckon that my brain prioritised this memory for processing over the more mundane parts of my life, for I found my dream find, a Gold Aureus of Julius Caesar. Although I was incapable of a victory dance, my feelings could be called ‘ecstatic’, and my restless legs made a desperate spurt.

The Dream Find – Gold Aureus of Julius Caesar 

WOOD YOU BELIEVE IT?

Archaeologists & Imagination

I believe there is a module in the training course for archaeologists called Module 4, which focuses on imagination and imaginative writing. We can all be considered archaeologists to some extent, especially metal detectorists who are interested in the past. Sometimes, these hobbyists show better imaginative skills than the so-called “experts,” although Barford might challenge this notion.

Archaeologists study the remnants of the past and how they relate to the traces they find. They then use these findings to create a meaningful understanding, whether it’s through making inventories, accounts, narratives, explanations, or anything else. Many people find this subject fascinating, including metal detectorists.

The Brothel Token

Courtesy of the UK Searcher Magazine

A video report from LondonTonight 4th January 2012

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PAS Database Record

 A worn and corroded Roman copper alloy spintria, dating to the late first century BC to early first century AD. The object comprises a flat, copper alloy disc. On the obverse are two naked lovers engaged in a sexual act; the female lies on her front beneath the male who straddles her. They lie on a bed or couch decorated with a swag. The depiction is classifed as ‘Scene V’ by Buttrey 1973. On the reverse are the Roman numerals ‘XIIII’, with a dot above the last two ‘I’, inside a circumferential border. An exact parallel for this spintria exists in the Department of Coins and Medals’ collection at the British Museum (R 4476). Although ‘spintriae’ are commonly identified as brothel tokens, due to the erotic nature of some scenes depicted on them, there is no evidence to suggest that they were used in such a manner. They are not mentioned in any ancient sources, nor have they been found in buildings identified as ‘brothels’. It is equally likely that they acted as gaming counters, and that the erotic images on them were merely decorative. For a more detailed discussion of their function and dating, see Buttrey, T. (1973) ‘The spintriae as a historical source’ Numismatic Chronicle Vol. XIII, p. 52-68 and Chapter 8 in Clarke, J.R. (1998): Looking at Lovemaking: Constructions of Sexuality in Roman Art (Berkeley).

Notes:

This is an important find and exciting find for London as the majority of spintriae are unprovenanced. However, as the spintria was not found in a closed context, it is impossible to determine whether the spintria was lost during the Roman period or more recently.

Record LON-E98F21 on the PAS database