Zoomorphism and British Artefacts The term zoomorphic is used to describe something which has or represents animal forms or gods of animal form. Throughout the past, craftspeople have often incorporated animal designs into the objects they were producing. A cursory search of the Portable Antiquities Scheme database for objects described as zoomorphic will present you …more
Hello all! My name is Adam Rivett, and I am the new Finds Liaison Assistant for North and East Yorkshire working with the excellent Portable Antiquities Scheme team based out of the Yorkshire Museum in York. I expect most of you already know our amazing Finds Liaison Officer Rebecca Griffiths so I’m sure you also …more
This blog post is part of a new series we’re calling ‘Spotlight On…’ where we examine PAS finds in context. We’ll aim to shed some light on what was happening in the world during the first life of these finds. This week, the spotlight falls on a twelfth-century coin. Let’s explore the events that were …more
Hello! I’m Eve Donlon, the current Headley Trust Intern for North and East Yorkshire. I work as part of the Portable Antiquities Scheme team alongside Finds Liaison Officer Rebecca Griffiths (and am based across the hall from the amazing curatorial team of the Yorkshire Museum). Over the next few months, I’m hoping to share some of our work with you here and on the PAS social media, including over at my Twitter account (@YORYM_Intern).
This silver Post-Medieval hawking vervel was reported as Treasure in 2012 after being discovered by a metal detectorist near Sutton upon Derwent in the East Riding of Yorkshire. Hawking was a favourite form of hunting for centuries in England and was at its most popular in the seventeenth century. Trained birds of prey were used …more
Medieval objects are the second most commonly recorded objects on the PAS database. They account for 23% of the data set behind Roman material which covers a huge 40%. The bulk of this material is made up of the more common finds, such as individual coins, buckles, brooches and vessel sherds. Occasionally however, we come across …more
In his recent post on these pages, SWYOR colleague Andy Benbow discussed the challenges presented to PAS volunteers working from home during lockdown. He highlighted that with few finds coming in, the period provided an opportunity to prioritise ‘housekeeping’ tasks (Databasing During Lockdown, 2020). One of my tasks has been revisiting and updating Medieval and …more
In July 2020 the Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS) reached the amazing milestone of recording 1.5 million objects. In its 23 year history numerous people have contributed to the success of the PAS. This is not only Finds Liaison Officers (FLOs), but volunteers, interns and students, without whom this immense achievement would not have been possible. …more
