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news News is written by Mike Pitts Top right: Cleaning the findspot when Oxford Archaeology arrived on site Right: Most items had been heavily crushed in the ground; parts of an iron lamp lie across broken Samian vessels in the foreground (scale graduated in 10cm) Right: A cast copper alloy jug handle features three figures, one smaller, in front of an altar (15.5cm long) Right: A Samian cup, stamped gracchi.m, ad155–195 (10cm across) Altar scene on Buckinghamshire Roman jug A Roman grave has been found near Whitchurch, Buckinghamshire, in which the cremated remains of an adult, possibly a woman, were accompanied by objects including pots, glass vessels, an iron lamp and a copper alloy jug and patera. An unusual religious scene on the jug handle makes the find of national importance. The bone had been placed in a pottery urn, which was block lifted for laboratory analysis. Nearby were two Samian ware dishes and two cups, a pottery jug, the remains of perhaps two glass beakers, a much fragmented (8) ARCHAEOLOGY OXFORD copper alloy patera, an iron lamp or lamp holder and two small lead sheet objects. The original objects had apparently been placed in a wooden casket, from which over 20 iron nails survived. It all fitted into a pit about 1.1m long by 70cm wide, and had been crushed by farming activity. The handle was the only well preserved part of the copper alloy jug. It features what Martin Henig describes as a “sacro-idyllic” scene, with a pair of adults and a possible child before an altar, shaded by a tree. With the cremated remains were a red jasper intaglio depicting the goddess Minerva and the god Mercury, and iron shoe nails. Three of the Samian vessels bear stamps of known central Gaulish potters in Lezoux, France, dating between ad150–200. Individually, most of these finds are Right: In a red Jasper intaglio, typical of the Antonine style of the second century ad, a helmeted Minerva is being crowned by a near-naked Mercury Below: Copper alloy dish or patera (22cm across) relatively unusual in Roman graves, but together constitute a rare collection that suggests a woman of substance. The second century date is comparable to a larger grave found in Hertfordshire in the same month (see feature, page 14), which notably also included glass and copper alloy vessels, and an iron lamp, but no pottery. The Buckinghamshire grave was located by John Steele, who had travelled from Colorado in October 2014 to take part in a Weekend Wanderers Metal Detecting Club rally. Seeing parts of metal objects and pottery vessels, the event organiser, Peter Welch, contacted Ros Tyrell, the county Portable Antiquities Scheme finds liaison officer, who in turn notified Eliza Alqassar, archaeological planning officer for Buckinghamshire County Council. Drawing on the Buckinghamshire Historic Environment Forum emergency recording fund, the council commissioned Oxford Archaeology to continue investigations. Alqassar said the project was “a good example of how such discoveries can be swiftly reported, excavated and the finds displayed, when finances allow.” Some of those finds can presently be seen at the Buckinghamshire County Museum, Aylesbury. The museum is hoping to raise £3000 for necessary conservation work (contact museum@buckscountymuseum.org). • In December a unique AngloSaxon coin hoard was found on another Weekend Wanderers club rally in Buckinghamshire (News Mar/Apr 2015/141). 6|British Archaeology|May June 2015
page 7
“Celtic” face looks out from unique bone comb For Steve Thompson, site director at Wessex Archaeology, a housing development near Harwell, Oxfordshire, offered another big excavation in the upper Thames valley. Archaeologists are used to investigating large prehistoric settlements there, which enjoyed the landscape’s soils, long occupation history and transport connections. The site has not disappointed, revealing a dense complex of storage pits, postholes and circular gullies marking former iron age houses. There are also hints of Roman and AngloSaxon activity, that may become more substantial when further areas are explored. villages, with simple geometric designs often scratched into the handle and the teeth broken off. In this case, however, the decoration features a human face, unique on a comb and rare in any context in a sophisticated art form that is mostly abstract. One small find, however, has made Taylor Wimpey’s development of more than usual interest to archaeologists, who are excitedly swapping notes – and concluding that no, they haven’t seen anything like it before. It is a weaving comb carved from a horse metatarsal, an elongated ankle bone. Such combs, made in bone or deer antler, are commonly found discarded in iron age The comb was found late last summer in the top of a pit that cut a middle iron age ditch (450–100bc). It is broken and worn, and may, like the uninformative scraps of iron age pottery, fired clay and animal bone also in the pit, have ended up there accidentally from nearby household waste. There might, however, be more to the feature, which Alistair Barclay, project manager at Wessex Archaeology, describes as “gravelike” in shape, and close to the centre of a penannular ditch that could have enclosed a building. In such a location, the comb, perhaps an heirloom, might have been buried to “bless” the new house. The theory awaits detailed study of the site record. The comb had originally been a fine, highly polished object. The front of the handle is elaborately decorated with incised linear and circular motifs. The face is carved into the rounded butt end, with a strong chin and nose, an enigmatic straight mouth, and what appear to be downcast eyes and stylised hair or horns above. Alternatively, the “eyes” could be cheek bones, with fuller eyes above and hair indicated by grooves around the end of the comb. Given the face at the tip, what would otherwise be read as abstract decoration on the handle may now be seen as a schematic representation of dress. Excavation continues. (5) ARCHAEOLOGY W ESSEX Far left: The bone weaving comb, in pieces as found; the short stumpy teeth have broken off (above, 175mm long) British Archaeology|May June 2015|7

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news

News is written by Mike Pitts

Top right: Cleaning the findspot when Oxford Archaeology arrived on site

Right: Most items had been heavily crushed in the ground; parts of an iron lamp lie across broken Samian vessels in the foreground (scale graduated in 10cm)

Right: A cast copper alloy jug handle features three figures, one smaller, in front of an altar (15.5cm long)

Right: A Samian cup, stamped gracchi.m, ad155–195 (10cm across)

Altar scene on Buckinghamshire Roman jug

A Roman grave has been found near Whitchurch, Buckinghamshire, in which the cremated remains of an adult, possibly a woman, were accompanied by objects including pots, glass vessels, an iron lamp and a copper alloy jug and patera. An unusual religious scene on the jug handle makes the find of national importance.

The bone had been placed in a pottery urn, which was block lifted for laboratory analysis. Nearby were two Samian ware dishes and two cups, a pottery jug, the remains of perhaps two glass beakers, a much fragmented

(8)

ARCHAEOLOGY

OXFORD

copper alloy patera, an iron lamp or lamp holder and two small lead sheet objects. The original objects had apparently been placed in a wooden casket, from which over 20 iron nails survived. It all fitted into a pit about 1.1m long by 70cm wide, and had been crushed by farming activity.

The handle was the only well preserved part of the copper alloy jug. It features what Martin Henig describes as a “sacro-idyllic” scene, with a pair of adults and a possible child before an altar, shaded by a tree. With the cremated remains were a red jasper intaglio depicting the goddess Minerva and the god Mercury, and iron shoe nails. Three of the Samian vessels bear stamps of known central Gaulish potters in Lezoux, France, dating between ad150–200.

Individually, most of these finds are

Right: In a red Jasper intaglio, typical of the Antonine style of the second century ad, a helmeted Minerva is being crowned by a near-naked Mercury

Below: Copper alloy dish or patera (22cm across)

relatively unusual in Roman graves, but together constitute a rare collection that suggests a woman of substance. The second century date is comparable to a larger grave found in Hertfordshire in the same month (see feature, page 14), which notably also included glass and copper alloy vessels, and an iron lamp, but no pottery.

The Buckinghamshire grave was located by John Steele, who had travelled from Colorado in October 2014 to take part in a Weekend Wanderers Metal Detecting Club rally. Seeing parts of metal objects and pottery vessels, the event organiser, Peter Welch, contacted Ros Tyrell, the county Portable Antiquities Scheme finds liaison officer, who in turn notified Eliza Alqassar, archaeological planning officer for Buckinghamshire County Council. Drawing on the Buckinghamshire Historic Environment Forum emergency recording fund, the council commissioned Oxford Archaeology to continue investigations.

Alqassar said the project was “a good example of how such discoveries can be swiftly reported, excavated and the finds displayed, when finances allow.” Some of those finds can presently be seen at the Buckinghamshire County Museum, Aylesbury. The museum is hoping to raise £3000 for necessary conservation work (contact museum@buckscountymuseum.org).

• In December a unique AngloSaxon coin hoard was found on another Weekend Wanderers club rally in Buckinghamshire (News Mar/Apr 2015/141).

6|British Archaeology|May June 2015

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