ATS Archaeologist? Bit of help identifiying this object please

Came across this today while cleaning out the summer house getting ready for when winter sets in. Turns out my Grandfather dug it up 15-20 years ago in the Scottish borders (where i also dug up a clay pipe with hands engraved on the side when i was a child which i lost a few years ago).

Another family member has already used the internet to try and identify what kind of timezone this object could be placed in and what kind of person it may have belonged to but was unsuccesfull. This is where ATS comes in as i know there will be somebody that may be able to shed a little light on the origin of the object.

Its obviously a wrist garment of some kind and my guess is its probably from the Border Reivers or maby Roman but i think thats pushing it a bit. But i'm posting this here to get some kind of conclusive anwser. Anything would be helpfull.

The object has a bit of weight about it and is not magnetic (bronze?). I have no idea how to identify metals so hopefully one of you guys has a good eye for that kind of thing.

Heres the pics-
[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/1951e87d448a.jpg[/atsimg]
[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/79753ba807e9.jpg[/atsimg]
[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/d6d14b8f65d9.jpg[/atsimg]
[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/fa614d525de6.jpg[/atsimg]

P.S I know this is not an object from a Ancient and Lost Civilization but i thought this the most appropriate area to post in. Mods, if you disagree, feel free to move

Thanks in advance

Peace

EDIT: Pics are a bit big and i dont know how to resize but theres enough there to understand the shape and design ect of the object.

I'm no archaelogist but I'll advise Google's image search.
the one which uses photoes to identify objects.
It exists if I'm not mistaken.

You may want to re-post your images so they are max 600 pixels wide(make sure aspect ratio is locked) so they are not cut off on the right hand side of the thread.

Umm it is a bracelet. Not that it isn't cool however it is adornment looks hand tooled with the bolsters in the reverse of cuff, nice find in the process of cleaning though

nip down to the local museum i'm sure there will be a specialist available to take a look

Looks like a garnet cuff? As to the origins....

reply to post by iksose7


I might be wrong but it appears to be Indian made; the metal is similar to that of we jewellers call "German silver" or "white metal", it's not real silver but it does'nt rust like nickle. Most costume jewellery today is made out of the same metal in India or it is coated over brass.

These bangles usually sell for around $10.00 to $20.00

I'm no expert (or even an amateur to be honest) but some aspects of it make me think gothic or even celt inspired work. Either way it is an intriguing piece!

I don't think the Romans got as far as Scotland did they?

I would say take some more pics of it much further from the camera so it will focus on it. Minimum focusinging will be 50cm or so, depending on the lense. Use better light and a much smaller aprture setting (higher f number) to increase the focus. Re-post.

Originally posted by Shamatt
I don't think the Romans got as far as Scotland did they?

tell me you're kidding, Hadrians wall ring a bell? ding ding

They were called armilla/e both Greeks and Romans had them as an article of rank I think.

reply to post by Shamatt


The Romans got quite a way into Scotland, indeed, they built a legionary fortress on the north bank of the Tay and marched up into Aberdeenshire..

Inchtuthil legionary fortress

they just didn't settle down there, it was always a bit of a wild frontier for them.


OP - I think the best advice would be just to take the article into your local museum and let someone there have a look at it, just to be on the safe side. It's kinda hard to tell what you've got just from pics, the quality and weight of the metal will say a lot. It don't recognise it as being of a particular era but it doesn't really look that modern.

peace
J

Looks much too modern to be of roman origin, it has no patina at all. It looks as though you can see reverse marks of the design on the back of the band, which makes me wonder if it was stamped as opposed to etched or cast. My guess is costume jewelry.

I agree that it looks relatively modern... perhaps you could put some photos of it on Flickr and link to that? Place a penny or some familiar object next to it so we get some sense of scale. I'd like to see the design on the front and any other details.

That said, it looks like a modern type of bracelet called a "cuff." The guess of "German silver" is really reasonable from what can be told about the color.

Interesting piece, though!

OH... and where on the Scottish borders did you find it? I'm thinking it might even be a Renfaire type article. It's not Roman, I can tell you that much.

reply to post by Blackmarketeer

Yes, you are right there. Each mark has definately been stamped individually. You can tell from small inperfections and the reverse marks as you said. Still a nice bit of craftsmanship if i do say so myself

reply to post by Shamatt

Yes, the Romans definately got as far and into Scotland. As for the photos, thats the best quality i can get unfortnately. All i have is my iPods camera.

reply to post by Byrd

Thanks for the advice Byrd, i may try that if i can find a camera that can get a better quality image. Oh, and it was found in Dumfriesshire about a mile over the Scottish Border while digging foundations for a house where i lived as a child. My Grandfather told me he found it wraped in a animal pelt which was pretty much gone. That area has such a rich history. There were many ruins of old round houses, caves and camps where the Border Reivers used to stay nearby. If only i had taken more interest in that kind of thing back then

reply to post by skjalddis

Thanks, thats probably the best thing to do to get a conclusive anwser. The only prblem is i live in France now, dont speak French and am nowhere near a museum oh well, maybe oneday.

Thanks for your time everyone

Hi,

The additional info you posted there - that it was found wrapped in an animal pelt that was pretty much rotted away - that suggests that it may be pretty old - I don't mean Roman, probably not that old - but probably not C20th. Didn't realise that you were in France - perhaps you could contact a museum in Dumfriesshire by email and mail a pic to them? They may be interested if you tell them about how it was found.

peace
J

Originally posted by iksose7. The only prblem is i live in France now, dont speak French and am nowhere near a museum

oh well, maybe oneday.

you just need to goto the museum and say what you want louder and louder until they understand

OP - have you tried mailing these guys?

Portable Antiquities Scheme

The Portable Antiquities Scheme is a voluntary scheme to record archaeological objects found by members of the public in England and Wales. Every year many thousands of objects are discovered, many of these by metal-detector users, but also by people whilst out walking, gardening or going about their daily work. Such discoveries offer an important source for understanding our past.

Don't know if they would be interested in recording items from Scotland but they might be able to tell you more about what you have.

peace
J