Hi All I found this video of the uncovering of a Roman coin hord Found in the U.K with a Metal Detector.
Tuesday 26 October 2010
Thursday 21 October 2010
The Difference Between Real Gold & Fools Gold
I Found this really usful article that will come in handy if you search for gold read the full article here
Whether you’re gold panning or shopping at a garage sale or digging through your attic, when you see gold flakes it’s an exciting moment, especially if they turn out to be real gold. But how can you be sure it’s gold and not mica or pyrite
Tuesday 12 October 2010
Viking treasure discovered in North Yorkshire village | The Archaeology News Network
A VIKING treasure pendant, which has laid buried for more than 1,000 years, has been unearthed by an amateur archaeologist.
The silver pendant, known as Thor's Hammer, has been declared treasure at an inquest in Harrogate.
It had been found near Coprove in September last year, by metal detectorist Michael Smith, who, not knowing what it was, had dismissed it as worthless.
"I've been going to this spot for quite a few years," he told the coroner. "I didn't know what it was, I thought it was a bit of rubbish.
"I put it on a forum when I got home, but it was a couple of months later that someone said 'isn't that a Thor's Viking Hammer?'"
Only two or three have ever been found in the UK; the pendant is believed to date back to between the 9th and 11th centuries.
In Norse mythology, Thor was the god of thunder and his distinctively shaped hammer Mjolner is depicted as one of the most fearsome weapons, capable of levelling mountains.
To find a remaining pendant of this Norse symbol, is something of a "coup", said Mr Smith, who, despite many years of experience, was still quite excited by the find.
"You never know what you are going to pick up," he said after the inquest. "Sometimes it's tat, but it's always exciting to see that glint out of the corner of your eye and know that it could be treasure."
Viking find
The 54-year-old, from Cottingley, has been touring North Yorkshire sites since he bought his first metal detector in the 1970s.
"Now I'm always out doing it," said Mr Smith. "I bought my first one from a second hand shop - paid well over the odds for it, mind. Been metal detecting ever since."
The Viking pendant is not the first of his finds. He has discovered some real rarities over the years, which he shares with members of an internet forum, www.detectorist.co.uk
A fortnight ago, at Tadcaster, he found nine King Edward I coins and one King Edward II coin, and just before Christmas last year he found a Saxon pendant near Northallerton.
"One day at Thorner I picked up a 3,500 year-old flint," he said. "It's better than gold. The last person to touch that was probably sat at his fire, shaping his flint, or he could have shot it at a deer and lost it."
His favourite piece is a Roman brooch. "I've unearthed Roman, Saxon, Viking, everything," he said. "But that's my favourite, I wouldn't sell it for the world. I was chuffed to bits when I found it."
Harrogate museums have expressed an interest in buying the pendant, and it is now with valuers who will decide what it is worth. But for Mr Smith, the money doesn't matter, it is all about the adventure.
"It's about getting out and doing something," he said. "I learn more about history than I ever did at school, I have got to know all the different kings and queens.
"Knowing that you're the first person to touch it, in thousands of years, is quite beautiful. The last person to hold that pendant would have been a real Viking."
Source: Harrogate Advertiser [October 10, 2010]
Thursday 7 October 2010
Crosby Garrett Helmet Fetches over 2 1/4 Ppounds
Lot DescriptionA ROMAN BRONZE CAVALRY PARADE HELMET
CIRCA LATE 1ST-2ND CENTURY A.D.
Composed of two sections, helmet and mask; the tinned bronze face-mask with idealised youthful features, the openwork eyes with irises formed of delicate perforated rings, the upper and lower lids with incised lashes, the eyebrows arching from the bridge of the nose to the hairline with incised herringbone detail, the nostrils pierced, the fleshy lips slightly parted, with filtrum indicated, the face framed by three rows of tight corkscrew curls, the individual strands finely incised, the lower edge with remains of iron rivets on either side, probably for attachment of a strap for fastening to the helmet; the bronze helmet in the form of a Phrygian-style cap, with curved tip, surmounted by a solid-cast griffin, on an integral base, seated on its haunches, with finely incised details of the fur and mane, an attachment loop on the back of the neck, his wings outstretched with incised feather detail, his right paw raised and resting on the rim of a fluted amphora, an oval recess below with pierced loop at the tip, the back edge of the cap delineated by a raised ridge, curling inwards at the corners, terminating in incised button finals and decorated with pairs of vertical lines bordered by tongues, a row of hair curls emerging from underneath, the back and sides of the cap decorated with five rosettes, with groups of punched dots at the tips of the petals, with narrow flaring neck-guard, pierced in the centre and left corner, the perimeter decorated with incised diagonal dashes and tongues, with original hinge for attachment to the face-mask, mounted
16 in. (40.7 cm.) high
Lot Condition ReportI confirm that I have read this Important Notice and agree to its terms.Pre-Lot TextThe Crosby Garrett Helmet
ProvenanceDiscovered by a metal detectorist, Crosby Garrett, Cumbria, May 2010.
Lot NotesThis remarkable cavalry parade helmet, with its enigmatic features, is one of only three that have been discovered in Britain complete with face-masks. The others being the Ribchester Helmet, found in 1796 and now in the British Museum, and the Newstead Helmet, in the Museum of Antiquities, Edinburgh, found circa 1905. The Crosby Garrett Helmet, found in Cumbria earlier this year is an extraordinary example of Roman metalwork at its zenith.
The Crosby Garrett Helmet sets itself apart by virtue of its beauty, workmanship and completeness, particularly the face-mask, which was found virtually intact. In addition, the remarkable Phrygian-style peak surmounted by its elaborate bronze griffin crest appears unprecedented. H. Russell Robinson, formerly the curator of the Royal Armouries, cites only one other fragmentary helmet found at Ostrov in Romania, dated to the second half of the 2nd Century A.D., in the form of a tall Phrygian cap. Representations of similar helmets can be found at the base of Trajan's Column among the captured Dacian and Sarmatian armour (cf ., H.R. Robinson, The Armour of Imperial Rome, London 1975, pp. 134-135, pls. 409-410). The openwork eyes and facial features of the Crosby Garrett Helmet find their closest parallels with Robinson's Cavalry Sports Type E helmets, and in particular with a helmet from Nola, in southern Italy, now in the British Museum, dated to the late 1st to early 2nd Century A.D., (ibid., p. 124, pl. 361). However, the rendering of the hair in large tight curls is comparable to that of the Belgrade mask, now in the Archaeological Museum in Belgrade, belonging to Cavalry Sports Type C, and dated to the 2nd Century A.D. (ibid. p. 115, pl. 326).
These helmets were not for combative use, but worn for hippika gymnasia, (cavalry sports events). The polished white-metal surface of the Crosby Garrett face-mask would have provided a striking contrast to the original golden-bronze colour of the hair and Phrygian cap. In addition, colourful streamers may have been attached to the rings along the back ridge and on the griffin crest. Arrian of Nicomedia, a Roman provincial governor under Hadrian, provides us with the only surviving contemporary source of information on cavalry sports events. He describes, in an appendix to his Ars Tactica, how the cavalrymen were divided into two teams which took turns to attack and defend. He suggests that the wearing of these helmets was a mark of rank or excellence in horsemanship. Participants would also carry a light, elaborately painted shield, and wear an embroidered tunic and possibly thigh-guards and greaves, all of which would contribute to the impressive spectacle. These events may well have accompanied religious festivals celebrated by the Roman army and were probably also put on for the benefit of visiting officials. The displays would have been intended to demonstrate the outstanding equestrian skill and marksmanship of the Roman soldier and the wealth of the great empire he represented.
Department InformationKeywords
via christies.com
Crosby Garrett Helmet Fetches over 2 1/4 million Pounds
Monday 4 October 2010
Windows Phone 7 to make October 11 debut in New York, London
Next Monday, the 11th, Microsoft is hosting a bunch of launch events for Windows Phone 7, in London and New York. Ars will be reporting live from both.
The New York event kicks off at 9:30ET with a press conference with Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, and AT&T Mobility CEO Ralph de la Vega, followed by a device showcase of all the AT&T Windows Phone 7 handsets—prominent positioning that cements AT&T's position as the "premier" carrier in the US.
Later in the day, Microsoft is holding another launch event for its customers, also in New York. Surprisingly, given the recent claim in the Wall Street Journal that Windows Phone 7 would initially be exclusive to AT&T, this event will be attended not by AT&T but instead by the US's other major GSM network, T-Mobile.
The London event will be concurrent with the press conference in New York, though which companies and people will be there is as-yet unconfirmed. While carrier options in the US are limited, the same won't be true in the UK. Way back in February, when Windows Phone 7 was first announced at Mobile World Congress, Orange was described as the "lead partner"; it has since been confirmed that all the major UK carriers will have handsets available at launch.
October 11 will also be the first day that developers can submit applications to the Windows Phone Marketplace. Initially, only a couple of thousand developers will be able to submit their applications, and to be part of this initial group, developers must e-mail Microsoft within the next two days. Access to the submission process will then be expanded week by week, before the self-service submission process is made available to all. By the time Windows Phone hardware actually reaches retail availability, there should be a wide range of applications available through Marketplace.
via arstechnica.com
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