PAS 15 – Finds from Avon

Posted on by Lauren Speed

This year marks 15 years of the Portable Antiquities Scheme as a national scheme. Throughout the year we’ll be celebrating finds from each county – a find a day for the whole year! Here are the finds we’ve chosen from Avon:

Image of 7 artefacts found in the Avon area. Top row from left to right: Roman brooch, flint arrow head, gold coin of Charles I with pierced hole. Bottom row left to right: bronze figurine of a Capricorn, copper alloy and gold mount for a horse bridle, silver coin of Edward I, copper alloy axe head.
A selection of finds from the Avon area (Bristol & North Somerset). Copyright: Portable Antiquities Scheme, Licence: CC-BY.

Roman brooch (GLO-5F0AE3): a Colchester derivative T-shaped brooch made from copper alloy and dated AD70-150.

Neolithic arrowhead (PUBLIC-3BD03B): a barbed and tanged flint arrowhead dating to the late Neolithic/Early Bronze Age period.

Post-medieval pierced coin (WILT-852CB5): a gold half-unite of Charles I which has been deliberately bent and pierced, probably for use as a love token or lucky charm.

Roman Capricornus figurine (SWYOR-29B362): a cast copper alloy figurine of a Capricornus – half goat, half fish. This mythical creature was the emblem of the Second Augustan Legion (Legio II Augusta) who were based in Caerleon, South Wales.

Early medieval harness mount (SOMDOR-305381): a copper alloy mount depicting a moustachioed face flanked by two stylised birds. It would probably have been mounted on either the browband or noseband of a horse bridle.

Silver coin of Edward I (SOMDOR658): a silver coin minted in Waterford, Ireland, depicting Edward I.

Bronze Age socketed axehead (GLO-57A477): a cast copper alloy socketed axehead dating to the Late Bronze Age c. 1000-800BC.