Written by the TreasureGuide for the exclusive use of the Treasure Beaches Report.
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| A selection of the Fitzwilliam Museum coins which were studied, including coins of Charlemagne and Offa. (The Fitzwilliam Museum, University of Cambridge via SWNS)© Provided by talker |
The mysterious origins of England's Dark Age silver coins have finally been revealed, shedding light on trade between the nation and the rest of Europe.
Researchers discovered the coins - which are as much as 1,350 years old - had both Byzantine and later French origins as politics on the continent changed. rule.
For decades, experts have agonized over where the silver in these coins derived from...
"I proposed Byzantine origins a decade ago but couldn’t prove it. Now we have the first archaeometric confirmation that Byzantine silver was the dominant source behind the great seventh-century surge in minting and trade around the North Sea."
Dr Jane Kershaw, another co-author of the study from the University of Oxford, added: “These coins are among the first signs of a resurgence in the northern European economy since the end of the Roman Empire...
Here is the link for the rest of the article.
Mysterious origins of Dark Age silver coins finally revealed (msn.com)
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I recently received a question from a reader going to New Zealand who was wondering about how it is to take a metal detector on airlines. Since I haven't done it for a while, I asked Mitch King, who travels overseas with his metal detector. He provided the following comments.
I Travel twice a year to England to detect. No issues checking or carrying on a detector. Since it's an all-detecting vacation I always take 2. 1 would probably be ok. I put one in my checked luggage nicely wrapped in clothing for protection. I also carry one on. Since these are XP Deus it's really easy. Some people use dedicated cases for their machines. They are nice but it is just another piece of luggage to drag around the airports. Obviously, I don't carry on any digging tools. Also make sure you carry on any loose or backup lithium batteries. Airlines don't like them in the baggage hold. If there is a fire, they are neatly impossible to extinguish.
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| Recent Find: Three Small Connected Silver Charms |
Here is a set of three connected silver charms I found. The heart and the anchor are marked "STER." I don't think I've ever seen that before. The cross, on the other hand, is marked "STERLING."
The cross, heart and anchor are very common symbols. They are common to many centuries. They are so common and widespread in human history that the symbols themselves provide very little help in determining where the came from. The "sterling" mark, though, helps some.
Here is a list of "universal" symbols.
30+ Universal Symbols, Their Meanings, and How to Use Them (pixcap.com)
I don't know how that list was created or if it has any scientific validity, but it seems to be some wheat useful in a very general sense.
The cross is fourth on that list, following only the sun, moon and stars, heavenly bodies common to the experience of virtually all humans and cultures.
Here is what the site says about the cross symbol.
Culturally, the four points of the cross represent self, knowledge, and spiritual strength. As one of the most common universal symbols, a red cross is seen as a sign for medical help in war zones and other emergencies.
Of course there are stylistic variations that are diagnostic to some extent, but you have to be careful to not make too much of the basic symbol.
In Jungian psychology the quaternity is universally basic to human consciousness across all time periods and cultures.
The heart symbol is fifth on the list of "universal" symbols and is similarly of little to no diagnostic significance.
And the anchor comes in as number twelve of the list of thirty symbols. And from the same site, "Christians see it as a symbol of hope and steadfastness, while others view it as a representation of stability and strength."
I was watching TV and some of the usual suspects were trying to figure out who secreted a treasure that they haven't found. They seem to overlook the various periods and cultures that could have been involved and seem eager to follow one path while ignoring many possibilities. They've found a variety of artifacts and some rock carvings and suggestively placed rocks etc., - the kind you often see on treasure maps, fictional or otherwise, and they are trying to figure out what those objects and marks mean and who created them. Or at least that seems to be the storyline. So at some European location associated with the group they suspect and seem to want to identify as the source of the carvings and finds, one fellow points out a design and says that it looks very familiar and pulls out a paper with a few dots on it and compares the dots on the paper with the arrangement of dots they just found. The group then commented something like, "They are exactly alike." I could see some similarity, but I also saw what I considered to be some very significant differences. And I'm one who tends to pay more attention to similarities than differences! That is just my cognitive style, yet I saw the two designs as being pretty different.
I've talked about this before, but there is a tendency for people who have an investment in a conclusion to distort their perceptions to conform to their hopes or expectations. That might seem academic and unimportant to you, but as detectorists and treasure hunters, it is helpful in many ways to see the evidence for what it is rather than distorting it.
If we have a triangular piece of metal, the first thing to come to mind might be an arrowhead, but it isn't necessarily right. It takes more than that.
There are pyramids in Egypt and pyramids in South America. Does that mean the people are connected? Some people say there is a connection, but pyramids are such basic, natural and effective structures, it is hardly surprising that they have been used by people at different times and in different cultures.
It is easy to jump to conclusions. It is easy to make connections that are unwarranted. It is too easy. It is natural. Natural tendencies are often useful but can lead to mistakes.
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The surf will be getting a little bigger. Four to five- or six-foot surf by Sunday. Check out the charts.
Good hunting,
Treasureguide@comcast.net