Sunday, 27 December 2020

11th century Hoard found in Sluszkow

About 6,500 silver coins dated to the 11th and 12th centuries AD were found in the village of Sluszkow in central Poland. The hoard was buried alongside golden wedding bands, rings and bits of silver and lead.
One of the rings bears an inscription in Cyrillic, which reads: "Lord, help your maid Maria." The woman may have been a Ruthenian princess. The wife of King Bolesław Wrymouth was a Ruthenian princess named Zbysława. Her sister was named Maria, who was married to Piotr Włostowic.

Monday, 21 December 2020

Stunning 800 year old gold from 'Nanhai I'

Two exquisite gold necklaces found in an 800-year-old shipwreck have been put on display in the Guangdong Museum, China, along with other artifacts from the Song Dynasty.

The Nanhai I is a Chinese merchant ship which sank off the south China coast during the Southern Song Dynasty between 1127 and 1279. It was first discovered by a joint Chinese-British diving expedition in 1987.

'The Route of the Sea: Nanhai I shipwreck and Maritime Trade in the Southern Song Dynasty' is being presented at the Guangdong Museum
The entire shipwreck was lifted off of the seabed on December 21, 2007 and transferred into the specially-built Guangdong Maritime Silk Road Museum on Hailing Island, Guangdong.

Friday, 18 December 2020

Stunning Ancients

Mint State Tarentum Stater. ITALY. Calabria. Tarentum. AV Stater (8.56 gms), ca. 276-272 B.C. NGC MS, Strike: 5/5 Surface: 4/5. Fine Style. Head of Herakles right, wearing lion skin; Reverse: Nude male youth (Taras or Phalanthos?), driving biga. A VERY RARE type. Bidding starts at $30k.
SICILY. Syracuse. Dionysios I, 406-367 B.C. AR Dekadrachm (42.60 gms), Reverse die signed by Euainetos, ca. 405-390 B.C. NGC Ch EF, Strike: 4/5 Surface: 4/5. Fine Style. Obverse: Charioteer, holding kentron and reins, driving quadriga. Reverse: Head of Arethousa. Est: $30k to $50k.

Wednesday, 16 December 2020

Massive ancient hoard found in French looter's home

A French treasure hunter who claimed to have dug up 14,154 Roman coins in a Belgian field has been accused of being one of the greatest archaeological looters in European history. In France, metal detectors are only allowed to be used for scientific research, but in Dutch-speaking Flanders they can be used for personal searches. A raid by French officials on the man’s house revealed an astonishing hoard of 27,400 objects.

There were bracelets and necklaces dating from the bronze and iron age, Roman brooches known as fibulae, Merovingian and Renaissance belt buckles, parts of statues and Roman and Gallic coins – all of which are said to have been illegally unearthed in France.
A hollow copper Roman dodecahedron was recovered, of which there are only a hundred known copies. Their use remains an archaeological enigma.

The looter, who is awaiting trial, had been exploiting the difference between French law and Flemish regulations to amass his cache. He faces huge fines and prison time for his many thefts.

Monday, 14 December 2020

UK hoard donated to Hertford Museum

A hoard of 47 silver Roman coins and British Iron Age gold coins have been donated to a museum after being declared treasure. They were unearthed in a Hertfordshire field in 2017 by a group of metal detectorists. The oldest of the coins dates to 129 BC and is a Republican Roman denarius. The latest was issued during the reign of the emperor Claudius in AD 50‒54. The group waived a finder's reward of £2,500 to donate the hoard to the Hertford Museum, where the coins will be put on display.

A report stated: "This is a typical hoard deposited between the Roman invasion in AD 43 and the Boudicca uprising of AD 61."

Tuesday, 8 December 2020

Rare Greek-Illyrian helmet discovered

A very rare bronze Greek-Illyrian war helmet, used in Greece during the time of the Greco-Persian Wars, has been discovered in a rock-cut tomb in Dalmatia, Croatia. The form of the iconic open-faced helmet originated in the Peloponnese during the 8th and 7th centuries BC. The find was made during the exploration of the cave tomb in Zakotarac, located on the Pelješac peninsula, in southern Dalmatia, Croatia. The tomb was for a warrior buried in the 4th century BC. Part of the warrior’s skull appears to be visible from the openings of the helmet. The helmet is one of only about forty such helmets that have ever been found. Archaeologists also discovered a trove of ancient weapons, including spears and knives.

Two other people were buried along with the warrior, including a woman, who was found wearing a bronze bracelet.