From Dog Collars to Love Letters: Modern Day Destruction
In 2007, the Archbishop of York made a symbolic act of destruction by cutting up his dog collar in protest to the rule of President Mugabe in Zimbabwe. He argued that Mugabe had “taken people’s identity” and “cut it to pieces”, and in response he cut up his own identity (i.e. his dog collar) on the Andrew Marr Show. (more…)
Creative Destruction
I recently finished a fictional novel called “Us” by David Nicholls. This book has nothing to do with the Bronze Age (Believe it or not, I sometimes have other interests!) It is about a man called Douglas having a mid-life crisis. His wife (Connie) is about to leave him, in part because of his tumultuous relationship with their son (Albie). Douglas and Albie are two very different people and throughout the book he recalls anecdotes that emphasise this. (more…)
Priddy Awesome
Today marks 20 years since the Treasure Act was implemented in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, making it law for all finders of gold and silver objects and hoards of coins over 300 years old to report them. Hence the initiative: Treasure 20. (more…)
Fragments of the PAS: Somerset
And so I reach the final of my four counties: Somerset. Again, it is a diverse environment, some parts flooding heavily, contrasted by upland areas which served as centres for barrow cemeteries and monuments, as well as embanked settlements that acted as precursors for hillforts. Inevitably the character of metalwork recovered through the PAS differs from the previous counties presented: there’s less gold than Dorset, fewer ingots than Devon, more spearheads than Cornwall. (more…)
Fragments of the PAS: Dorset
Dorset is a particularly interesting place within my study region. It straddles a geological boundary of the sandstone that dominates Devon, Cornwall and much of Somerset, and the chalklands that characteristic Wiltshire and Hampshire. At least half of the county (the eastern half) falls under the traditional ‘Wessex’ landscape. What this means is that the character of the metalwork, and indeed other materials, is quite broad and often unique within the south western region. (more…)
Fragments of the PAS: Devon
Approximately 50 findspots have been recorded through the PAS for Devon, comprising around 100 objects. This includes fragments of all types of objects, including sword, spears, axes and other tools, from a variety of contexts. (more…)
Fragments of the PAS: Cornwall
Cornwall. It’s a weird and wonderful place, and not quite like anywhere else I’ve ever been, ranging from harsh, barren moorlands to stunning coastal scenes. Sitting at the tip of the South West peninsula, it’s the first of the counties in my blog series on the PAS material from my study region. (more…)
Fragments of the PAS
Over the last few weeks, I’ve been ambitiously tackling the online database of the Portable Antiquities Scheme database (aka the PAS). This has involved me extracting information from the database and compiling a catalogue of material relevant to my thesis. (more…)
The Broken Hoards of Late Bronze Age Cornwall
Cornwall has a lot of Late Bronze Age hoards.
I know this because I am currently trying to see them all. Fortunately, the majority are held in the Royal Cornwall Museum in Truro, which I can see from my living room window, making my life a lot easier! These hoards hold particular significance, however, as they follow the typical Late Bronze Age pattern of having been smashed to pieces. (more…)
Done with Data Collection – Where to go next?
A couple of weeks ago, as many of you will have seen, I collected my final piece of data. This data collection has been ongoing since about February 2015, when I stumbled into the Totnes museum with my random assortment of equipment, eager-eyed, and, quite frankly, a little bit uncertain about how the whole thing was going to go. (more…)
A Life In Fragments 