Can anyone identify this object?

[authun]

As far as I know, this object found at the vicus site at Slack in Yorkshire, has not yet been identified. Any takers?

http://www.huddarch.org.uk/Images/059T83.04specimen.jpg

The roman fort at Slack has been well excavated along with its counterpart at Castleshaw. They appear to have been abandoned around 125AD. The vicus however had never been excavated until it was decided to build the M62 motorway over the top of it. A hurried excavation shortly before the start of the construction revealed nothing post 125 AD and it was assumed to have been abandoned at the same time as the fort.

Two small corners of the vicus however remained untouched by the motorway and new excavations commenced. A wooden lined water conduit, still delivering water was discovered and analysis of the wood showed it to date to the 4th cent. Several other objects as well as walls have been found:

http://www.huddarch.org.uk/Archive08-09.htm

Current interest is on a circular structure which still on victorian maps marked as 'the circus', possibly an arena of some sort:

http://www.huddarch.org.uk/latestnews.htm

best
authun

[Vindex]

Reference the object - can you confirm what context it was found in? ie anything else which can identify the period/date in which it was found and the estimated date of those finds?

Is there an opinion on the material of which it is made?

[66kbm]

Hello...first post...i dont know what the object is but the patena on the underside cretainly makes it a copper alloy...as for the top piece....looks like a shaped childs sweet...sorry but it does....is it one or two items as the coloring/patena is not constant

[MARCvSVIBIvSMAvRINvS]

Looks to me like two items, a bronzeish metal piece underneath what might be an earthenware coloured stylistic representation of a dolphin maybe. Any chance of separating the two ?

M.VIB.M.

I say dolphin because of what looks like the remains of a dorsal fin and the broken off pointy side could have had a tailfin, even though it has no snout...

[66kbm]

Any chance of a pic of the lower/underneath item....i think whatever is on top is a red herring...nothing/but nothing holds its colours in earth after 1500yrs plus like that
Kevin

[MARCvSVIBIvSMAvRINvS]

There you are so so wrong Kevin... apparently you never have seen Egyptian Faience glass, Roman coloured tiles, Mosaïcs and what have you...
M.VIB.M.

[66kbm]

Im sorry but that looks like none of those...correct me if i'm wrong....but the reason for the thread was to identify not to critise comments

[MARCvSVIBIvSMAvRINvS]

No problem Kevin but you wrote:

i think whatever is on top is a red herring...nothing/but nothing holds its colours in earth after 1500yrs plus like that

Which is absolutely wrong and not at all what was asked for here.


M.VIB.M.


Back on topic please.

[Gaius Colletti]

Kevin what do you mean by "red herring"? Is that some sort of material? The only red herring I am familiar with is a term to divert the attention from something else

[66kbm]

OK sorry...i'm only seeing the things i can relate to....ie..the patena on the object underneath,if we actually know its a seperate object,it must be....need more info from the initiator of the thread.....till then i think we are all clutching at straws so to speak...admittedly the upper object does look dolphin'esq....1st cent i believe...but the "under"item....????

[markusaurelius]

When I helped at the excavations at Vindolanda, I uncovered broken wall plaster that still had its vivid colors....After 1500 years.

[attachment=1222]SANY0192.JPG[/attachment]


In terms of the object to be identified, it would be nice to get a couple other photos from different angles, as well as a reference on the size.

[authun]

Sorry, the only info is that which appears on the website. The HDAS do provide more details when these things are first uploaded, but then take them down again. I have no idea why. They did have the detailed analysis of the wood from the water conduit, but that too has disappeared. That was the only thing that could be dated.

Yes, I agree about the odd colours and texture of the object. It reminds me of that soft rock one sees at seaside resorts.

I doubt there is any info on context as the motorway has destroyed much information. Because it is in a slight dip, an embankment was built so the motorway is some twenty feet above the site. A bridge engineer did tell me that there were many finds, all of which have disappeared.

You can see the amount lost. It's either under the motorway or under the golf club who won't allow any digging of the fairways or greens.

[attachment=1223]slack3.jpg[/attachment]

[john roberts]

From the color, shape and evident texture, it looks like part of a marshmallow Easter bunny. Perhaps an ear. Other than that - some sort of handle? It has something of a pistol-grip profile.

[Vindex]

On the bright side at least the golf club is protecting the archaeology.

I'm a bit disturbed that the M62 took out such a site though - was there NO watching brief from the County Archaeologist?

But if it was well ploughed before hand it would account for the field scatter of finds I suppose.

The enclosure and the water supply could indicate some sort of industry on the site after post military occupation - fuller, for example.

I think the object should be classied as Post Med - it covers a multitude of sins! :wink: And if it is not stratified it is merely a curiosity.

[Gipiemme]

I think it is a piece of ceramic. Seems to be fresh broken. Probably the rim of a mortarium? http://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/record/id/157733