Record ID: NMS-D2D067
Object type: ARROWHEAD
Broad period: BRONZE AGE
County: Norfolk
Workflow stage: Awaiting validation
Almost complete barbed and tanged arrowhead of Green. H, S, (1980) type Sutton b, closest in outline to examples i and j (page 122, fig. 45), of off-white patinated flint with the numerous small inclusions within the flint a mid-grey colour, one face has three small spots of rusty iron, probably from contact with agricultural machinery. One barb is nearly complete; possibly the tiny tip is missing, the other barb is chipped at the tip, this is an ancient break as one of the iron stains is on the surface of the break, the tang is broken obliquely but would have been little longer than t…
Created on: Monday 15th April 2024
Last updated: Monday 15th April 2024
Spatial data recorded.

Record ID: NMS-7D16F9
Object type: SCRAPER (TOOL)
Broad period: NEOLITHIC
County: Norfolk
Workflow stage: Awaiting validation
Complete end scraper of conventional form; made from a secondary, hard hammer struck flake of glossy black flint with some inclusions, steeply retouched at the distal end to form the semi-circular scraping edge, small patch of sandy coloured thin cortex extant to one lateral side, showing the outside curve of the flint nodule this was struck from. A very useful tool in the initial preparation of fresh hides for tanning, effective in removing the subcutaneous fat from just below the surface of the skin. Neolithic, 4,000 to 2,350 BC.
Created on: Thursday 11th April 2024
Last updated: Monday 15th April 2024
Spatial data recorded.

Record ID: NMS-D593CC
Object type: HARNESS MOUNT
Broad period: MEDIEVAL
County: Norfolk
Workflow stage: Awaiting validation
Medieval heraldic stud or mount, the front plate now distorted; - of green and brown/purple patination with large projecting square sectioned spike mounted slightly off-centre on the reverse, the face is shield shaped, Or (guilded field, now only patchily gilded) an eagle displayed, neatly engraved but now missing its enamel infill, likely to have been Sable (black), perhaps indicating the arms for Richard, Earl of Cornwall and Poitou, younger brother of Henry III, after his election as King of the Romans in 1257 (Or a double-headed eagle displayed Sable) (d.1272) or of his son Edmund,…
Created on: Wednesday 3rd April 2024
Last updated: Thursday 4th April 2024
Spatial data recorded.

Record ID: NMS-C67C49
Object type: BROOCH
Broad period: ROMAN
County: Norfolk
Workflow stage: Awaiting validation
Incomplete Hod Hill brooch, missing hinged pin mechanism and catch-plate, the latter remains as a linier stump on the reverse, the bow has been partially flattened, probably from agricultural machinery passing over the top of the soil. The metal is now a bright green with light brown patination to the lower parts of the decoration, the upper end of the brooch is bifurcated with a slot for the pin, now incomplete, the bow has a medial ridge/moulding with both lateral edges/wings broken in antiquity, the bow is truncated at the lower end of the bow by a double transverse moulding wi…
Created on: Thursday 21st March 2024
Last updated: Thursday 4th April 2024
Spatial data recorded.

Record ID: NMS-C61971
Object type: STIRRUP
Broad period: EARLY MEDIEVAL
County: Norfolk
Workflow stage: Awaiting validation
An incomplete cast copper alloy stirrup strap mount with zoomorphic design of later Early Medieval (Late Saxon), 11th century date, of sub-trapezoidal shape, the upper and (the usually angled) lower edges now missing including a break through one openwork perforation at the lower edge, the upper edge is also truncated through an perforation. The main decoration is roughly incised (either in the model/mould or finished casting) to form a forward-facing beast mask, two eyes, rabbit-like ears and a triangular snout are quite clear, though the piece has lost much of its original surface as…
Created on: Thursday 21st March 2024
Last updated: Thursday 4th April 2024
Spatial data recorded.

Record ID: NMS-97E267
Object type: STRAP END
Broad period: EARLY MEDIEVAL
County: Norfolk
Workflow stage: Awaiting validation
Almost complete late Anglo-Saxon strap-end of Thomas Class E, type 1, with openwork relief decoration on both faces. The terminal end is missing, yet symmetrical. The attachment end is rectangular, split to hold the strap, and retains the rusty remains of an iron rivet at either corner. The split end is separated from the body of the strap-end by a transverse ridge on both faces. The upper openwork decoration six small holes of similar size, there are a further two below of a larger size, the very end, as mentioned, is missing, it is likely a further two small holes would have formed …
Created on: Tuesday 19th March 2024
Last updated: Thursday 4th April 2024
Spatial data recorded.

• 

  Image not taken

Record ID: NMS-F2A5DB
Object type: FLAKE
Broad period: NEOLITHIC
County: Norfolk
Workflow stage: Awaiting validation
Incomplete, secondary hard hammer struck flake, of mid grey flint with a patch of cortex to the distal end, now broken transversely. Neolithic to Bronze Age, 4,000 to 2,350 BC.
Created on: Monday 11th March 2024
Last updated: Monday 11th March 2024
Spatial data recorded.

• 

  Image not taken

Record ID: NMS-F27BA6
Object type: FLAKE
Broad period: NEOLITHIC
County: Norfolk
Workflow stage: Awaiting validation
Secondary hard hammer struck flake, of mottled dark and mid-grey flint, an area of brown within the flint to the distal end and one side of the bulbs of percussion; this is doubled from being partially struck twice to detatch the flake from the core. Neolithic to Bronze Age, 4,000 to 2,350 BC.
Created on: Monday 11th March 2024
Last updated: Monday 11th March 2024
Spatial data recorded.

• 

  Image not taken

Record ID: NMS-F20336
Object type: FLAKE
Broad period: NEOLITHIC
County: Norfolk
Workflow stage: Awaiting validation
Tertiary hard hammer struck flake, of mottled pale and mid-grey flint, an area of brown to the distal end, with spotty iron stains to the dorsal face on the high points of the flake scars, faint rusty iron scrapes to the ventral face, the thin edges appear to be irregularly retouched or recently damaged. Neolithic to Bronze Age, 4,000 to 2,350 BC.
Created on: Monday 11th March 2024
Last updated: Monday 11th March 2024
Spatial data recorded.

Record ID: NMS-5AA89B
Object type: ADZE
Broad period: MESOLITHIC
County: Norfolk
Workflow stage: Awaiting validation
Complete small tranchet adze, made from a larger thermal (frost/”potlid”) fracture of flint, the ventral face (the flatter of the two) carries the remnants of the interior face of this natural fracture, this area is unworked and is patinated slightly more orange/yellow than the knapped surfaces. The butt of the adze is relatively unpatinated, with a tiny patch of cortex extant to the very tip of the butt, the rest of the dorsal cortex is completely removed by flaking, this face shows the flint to have originally been mid-grey, the other parts of the adze are now patinated a…
Created on: Monday 4th March 2024
Last updated: Monday 4th March 2024
Spatial data recorded.

Record ID: NMS-C7B185
Object type: PALSTAVE
Broad period: BRONZE AGE
County: Norfolk
Workflow stage: Awaiting validation
Complete side looped Palstave axe, of Rowlands, M. J. (1976) class 2, group 1 trident, mid-green patination with areas of surface pitting, smooth surface in between. The flanges to the butt are set low and straight, starting to rise from the surface approx. 1/3 of the length of the septum, the highest point being where the flanges meet the stop ridge (32.9 mm), The blade is relatively narrow, hardly expanding at the cutting edge at all, the cutting edge itself is blunt, this and the lack of cutting edge expansion indicate this axe may have never been sharpened, though the condition of …
Created on: Monday 26th February 2024
Last updated: Monday 4th March 2024
Spatial data recorded.

Record ID: NMS-627D01
Object type: SOCKETED AXEHEAD
Broad period: BRONZE AGE
County: Norfolk
Workflow stage: Awaiting validation
Cutting edge and part of the body of a Late Bronze Age socketed axehead, of mid-green patination, most of the upper part is broken in antiquity. the break is abraded and a lighter colour to the original surfaces, as is the the remains of the the cutting edge, now truncated by surface loss. Depth of remaining socket: 16 mm. 1000 to 700 BC.
Created on: Wednesday 21st February 2024
Last updated: Friday 22nd March 2024
Spatial data recorded.

Record ID: NMS-6159F8
Object type: AXE
Broad period: MESOLITHIC
County: Norfolk
Workflow stage: Awaiting validation
Elongated axe or adze of extraordinary form and patination, the cutting edge and one side of the butt are damaged, as well as three smaller chips to one lateral edge, these show the flint was originally dark grey/black, the surfaces are now patinated white and dark rusty mottles the darker orange is more pronounced to the dorsal face than the ventral (flatter of the two), the edges and the high points to the flake scars of the flint is breaking down and re-corticating, especially to the paler of the two sides, all flake scars appear to be semi-hard hammer struck and neatly overlap at t…
Created on: Wednesday 21st February 2024
Last updated: Wednesday 3rd April 2024
Spatial data recorded.

• 

  Image not taken

Record ID: NMS-381DCE
Object type: BLADE
Broad period: NEOLITHIC
County: Norfolk
Workflow stage: Awaiting validation
Secondary soft hammer struck blade, of sub-trapezoidal cross section, struck from a single platform core, of unpatinated mid-grey flint, grading to black towards the distal end, this itself if broken transversely and carries a small patch of thin cortex to the dorsal face. Both lateral edges are finely and slightly irregularly damaged, it is difficult to say if this is recent or ancient. Neolithic, 4,000 to 2,350 BC.
Created on: Monday 19th February 2024
Last updated: Monday 19th February 2024
Spatial data recorded.

• 

  Image not taken

Record ID: NMS-37B398
Object type: FLAKE
Broad period: NEOLITHIC
County: Norfolk
Workflow stage: Awaiting validation
Two hard hammer struck flakes: short flake of unpatinated mottled grey flint with orange staining on and just below the cortical platform, struck through an internal linier flaw to the ventral face, appears to be debitage. L: 30.07 W: 25.3 T: 7.32 mm, 6g. Blade, struck from either an opposed platform core, or a multi-platform core of lightly patinated pale grey flint, the dorsal face has a flake scar that has stopped short and terminated in a hinge around the midway point, other flake scars have been struck from the opposing platform to try to undercut this hinge, these flake scars…
Created on: Monday 19th February 2024
Last updated: Monday 19th February 2024
Spatial data recorded.

• 

  Image not taken

Record ID: NMS-3433ED
Object type: FLAKE
Broad period: NEOLITHIC
County: Norfolk
Workflow stage: Awaiting validation
Three hard hammer struck flakes: Stout, sub-triangular tertiary flake, of unpatinated grey flint with fine, steep retouch to both lateral edges, one edge forming a neatly curved scraping edge, the distal end is partially stepped and is not retouched. L: 28.23 W: 29.63 x T: 8.10 mm, 7g. Tertiary, elongated flake of trapezoidal cross section, of mottled orange patinated flint, both lateral edges and the distal end are irregularly and steeply retouched. The dorsal face of the platform has been carefully trimmed of the overhang before this flake was struck from the core to avoid the bl…
Created on: Monday 19th February 2024
Last updated: Monday 19th February 2024
Spatial data recorded.

Record ID: NMS-E38598
Object type: AXE
Broad period: NEOLITHIC
County: Norfolk
Workflow stage: Awaiting validation
A heavy butted Neolithic fully ground and polished flint axe, of white patinated flint with a slightly grey inclusions to one face, all surfaces have both spotty iron stains and streaks from contact with agricultural machinery. The axe has been damaged at some point to the cutting edge, it appears that a large flake has initiated at the cutting edge (presumably in use) and has left a “plunging” flake to one face, the flake has terminated in a large step fracture, this is a common feature to axes that have broken in use, like NMS-7AE7C9, NMS-E21D6A and NMS-4EA515, the last t…
Created on: Thursday 15th February 2024
Last updated: Wednesday 21st February 2024
Spatial data recorded.

Record ID: NMS-B880B5
Object type: AXEHEAD
Broad period: NEOLITHIC
County: Norfolk
Workflow stage: Awaiting validation
Neolithic part-polished, thin butted axe, of lightly patinated light grey flint with a band of darker flint to the butt, the pale buff coloured parts are the slightly coarser inclusions within the flint, one face is streaked with rusty iron scrapes from agricultural machinery, all flake scars appear to be soft hammer struck and nearly all the flakes terminate without hinges to the dorsal face, the ventral face is slightly coarser and exhibits many fine step/hinge terminations to the flakes, this is not unusual with bifaces. The axe itself is in good condition save for some recent damag…
Created on: Tuesday 13th February 2024
Last updated: Tuesday 13th February 2024
Spatial data recorded.

Record ID: NMS-B75854
Object type: QUERN
Broad period: NEOLITHIC
County: Norfolk
Workflow stage: Awaiting validation
Saddle quern made from a coarse-grained quartz dolerite or diabase erratic, mid-grey with numerous lighter coloured coarse inclusions, the centre appears to have been hollowed by use to depth of c. 50 mm, the depression is sub-circular: c. 130 x 150 mm. The outside of the stone is very roughly and minimally shaped to a sub-bowl shape, one edge is especially straight and is ground almost smooth, presumably to enable the contents to be tipped out once processed. Cf. LIN-ED2837 for a broadly similar quern. Saddle querns were used to grind many plants and seeds both for culi…
Created on: Tuesday 13th February 2024
Last updated: Monday 26th February 2024
Spatial data recorded.

Record ID: NMS-9FCC87
Object type: CROSS
Broad period: MODERN
County: Norfolk
Workflow stage: Awaiting validation
Complete tin alloy or tombac alloy cross, of Eastern Christian design with either a or a stand or a casting jet still attached, or this stub was to be removed altogether and the cross attached to another object as decoration, or it was yet to be shaped into a suspension loop, the latter would allow the cross to be displayed the right way up. The design to the front is faintly defined, though the major elements are visible as being of Russian/Greek orthodox, and Byzantine mixed origin, seemingly an amalgamation of various Mediterranean styles, this is likely to have been par…
Created on: Monday 12th February 2024
Last updated: Thursday 15th February 2024
Spatial data recorded. This findspot is known as 'near Melton Constable', grid reference and parish protected.