S21 | Broughton: Guess the Find!
Added 2022-01-19 13:53:58 +0000 UTCWe've just received this amazing 3D model of a find, discovered during our dig at the Broughton Roman villa, Oxfordshire (courtesy of 3D maestro, Matt Clark).
But we need YOUR help in identifying it!
What era is it from? What is it made of? And what does it actually do? Let us know what you think in the comments below.
On first impression it may resemble a Bronze Age spacehopper, but it's actually much smaller and will easily fit in the palm of your hand.
Our resident small finds expert, Dani Wootton has already taken a closer look and will be giving us the lowdown very soon, right here on Patreon.
Comments
There's a way to pour something in or out. Did the Romans use standardised liquid measures as well as weight measures? A second possibility might be to hold some sort of incense for burning. A third would be to mix two liquids. There are two holes and a lip, but it's not clear what the internal structure is. The lip may be purely decorative, of course. This would seem the most likely explanation if there's an internal wall completely closing it off from the internal chamber the two holes lead to. If it's decorative, the two holes are all that matter, the bull horns could be to attach the object to something or decoration but they wouldn't change the nature of the thing. Two holes would mean you could pour something in with no air bubbles forming, which means it's guaranteed to hold a known amount. If it isn't completely closed off, I would expect it to be functional and that in turn pretty much limits you. An air intake with the two holes for smoke to leave would be viable. If there was a liquid running through the ball, then it would also be a way in which you could get air bubbles out of that liquid or to regulate the flow of that liquid (by acting as an overflow). You also want to know if either of the two holes showed the kind of stresses you'd expect from a stopper being repeatedly put in and taken out, this can't be seen from the image, you'd need to look at it through a microscope. You'd then want to build a replica to rule out the different possibilities.
Jonathan Day
2022-03-25 10:52:11 +0000 UTCI believe it's a bell
Mea Cadwell
2022-03-22 01:42:42 +0000 UTCMaybe some sort of a weight !
Robert O'Bryan
2022-03-10 04:08:32 +0000 UTCRob O'Bryan
Robert O'Bryan
2022-03-10 04:07:49 +0000 UTCIt looks a lot like a bell.
Joy Garner
2022-03-07 21:25:44 +0000 UTCYes, bell of some sort most likely.
Marcus Hill
2022-02-11 20:19:46 +0000 UTCHarness bell.
Linda H
2022-02-11 02:31:38 +0000 UTCI think it’s a bell made of bronze perhaps for a baby rattle
Liz McRae
2022-02-10 10:59:20 +0000 UTCIt looks like a jingle bell, perhaps for an animal?
Lesley Swann
2022-02-10 01:14:04 +0000 UTCBell?
Melissa Rybb
2022-02-08 17:56:20 +0000 UTCHorse harness Bell; Elizabethan?
Clare goreau
2022-02-05 17:21:14 +0000 UTCI think it looks as if it was possibly a spherical bell. The top bits look as if they are broken, but would have been joined so it can be fastened to something.
Orla Levy
2022-01-30 15:43:35 +0000 UTCInteresting. Maybe use TT audience more for research (parallels in local or online collections or other)
HJB Hiep
2022-01-29 09:06:22 +0000 UTCIt kinda looks like the old net float tho i dout its that. https://www.sarpur.is/Adfang.aspx?AdfangID=2139239
Maggi Einars
2022-01-27 12:06:06 +0000 UTCA crotal bell!
Elizabeth Elwell-Cook
2022-01-26 12:06:38 +0000 UTCI think it looks like a bell that would hang around the goats neck.
Cheryl Kurucz
2022-01-25 06:05:26 +0000 UTCNot knowing what its dimensions are, nor its weight…my first thought was a bell. But then I thought it looked like something helical. Like a conch shell. This makes me think it’s meant to produce some sound by perhaps blowing into it. Maybe it’s worn around the neck. My best guess.
Pat Sinatra
2022-01-25 02:21:36 +0000 UTCA falconry bell?
Seda Mcclurg
2022-01-23 22:21:47 +0000 UTCTudor area crotal bell
John westwood
2022-01-23 21:59:47 +0000 UTCA Crotal bell, (like those worn by goats or sheep) although I couldn’t say from which era as the design never really change over the centuries.
Adell
2022-01-23 07:25:06 +0000 UTCOne half of a bollocks?🤔
Eggs Ackley
2022-01-23 02:00:27 +0000 UTCLooks like a bronze bell to me an early medieval crotal bell.
Carol Franklin
2022-01-22 21:39:51 +0000 UTCA bell- Roman. Or a weight-Roman.
Jennifer Harmon
2022-01-21 17:29:16 +0000 UTCA Bell
Rob Federle
2022-01-21 17:27:00 +0000 UTCIt definitely looks like a bell to me.
Amy Lauters
2022-01-21 15:44:43 +0000 UTCA bell. As in jingle bell. Commonly used on a horse’s bridal. But could also be sewed on to the hem of a skirt or other clothing. May have been part of a dancers costume or a jesture’s hat.
Ralph Salier Hellendag
2022-01-21 14:16:23 +0000 UTCPretty sure it was once attached to Noddy's hat.
Mike Tedham
2022-01-21 12:37:12 +0000 UTCI was going to suggest a weight for loom fabric but I see that a crotal bell is the thing
Elizabeth West
2022-01-21 03:12:48 +0000 UTCThe Queen held something that looked just like that in her hand for her coronation. Don't know the official name for one though - an orb?
Sara Rowland
2022-01-20 17:29:59 +0000 UTCCrotal bell . Better? Is why are u asking us .
heith Doty
2022-01-20 16:57:04 +0000 UTCIt looks like a bell.
Patricia Crumrine
2022-01-20 16:32:03 +0000 UTCInteresting, but common, Crotal Bell from the early Medieval period. Of course this is an unprofessional guess, so it probably is a bronze age space hopper.
John Traphofner
2022-01-20 16:28:44 +0000 UTCA bell?
Murray M Wagnon
2022-01-20 15:38:49 +0000 UTCIt is stated that it fits in the palm of the hand. does this mean that it is about 75mm (3inches) across. This would make it too large for a bell from a jess, it would be a large cow bell too. I have never seen a cow bell this shape, usually they are flatter. Therefore although a bell sounds fair, I wonder if it a shofar like musical instrument.
Peter Carter
2022-01-20 15:09:39 +0000 UTCI'm going with a bell, but that's all I have. 🤷🏼♀️
choklityum
2022-01-20 13:56:55 +0000 UTCLooks like a bell to me, with a broken top ring.
Mark Reader
2022-01-20 11:22:07 +0000 UTCCrotal bell, a common find by detectorists on farmland.
Stephen Walls
2022-01-20 08:31:27 +0000 UTCEasy. It’s a common crotal bell.
Lady of the Leaves
2022-01-20 05:12:40 +0000 UTCMaybe a hawk's bell for the jesses, allowing the falconer to locate the bird and prey once they've gone to ground.
Kay Theriault
2022-01-20 04:15:59 +0000 UTCThe image needs scale! What size is it? A bell? And if made of brass could it be bronze age? Wild guess here … it’s that old because iron bells create far better sound, so if it had been made when iron was in use it would be iron? And if so, that would put it well before Roman occupation?
Robert Wise
2022-01-20 04:07:45 +0000 UTCA brass bell used for tracking an animal Roman
Dianne Brown
2022-01-20 03:42:58 +0000 UTCcrotal bell or animal bell
Graham Stokes
2022-01-20 02:13:25 +0000 UTCI forgot, it is probably brass
Sandra Day
2022-01-20 01:32:05 +0000 UTCThis is a bell used for animals the Romans would herd. It is from 40s C.E. Probably for a goat or sheep.
Sandra Day
2022-01-20 01:30:34 +0000 UTCMy thoughts too but possibly an earlier smaller version than the average medieval ones that metal detectorists find a lot of.
Stephen Toland
2022-01-20 01:01:51 +0000 UTCFirst instinct is bell but could be button or jewellery with damaged ring
JFF
2022-01-20 00:54:17 +0000 UTCJester's hat bell?
Donavon Slaven
2022-01-20 00:08:59 +0000 UTCIs it a bell that attached to a collar maybe for a goat? Sheep?
Todd Gillespie
2022-01-19 23:51:53 +0000 UTCThat's a nineteenth century brass harness bell.
Juti A Winchester
2022-01-19 23:14:50 +0000 UTCSimilar to this? https://www.ebay.com/itm/173032535260
Richard Linley
2022-01-19 22:33:53 +0000 UTCLike most here I am thinking pretty much in the same lines as others here, in that is some sort of bell, either for animal or reigns?? I have been a family genealogy researcher for the past 28 yrs so objects are not really my line, since I deal with the dead and what records I can find on them in my family lines..
Donna Oglesby
2022-01-19 22:00:11 +0000 UTCA reindeer bell from Saint nicks original sleigh :-) ( have to have a little fun )
John Breece
2022-01-19 21:58:14 +0000 UTCBrass or gold bell. Horse furniture. Or cat bell?
Shaun Smith
2022-01-19 21:44:06 +0000 UTCI'm sure it a bell, either for an animal or for the reins of a horse.
Maria
2022-01-19 21:30:33 +0000 UTCFirst post from a lifelong Time Team addict in my humble opinion it is without doubt a crotal bell.
Karl Brackenbury
2022-01-19 19:48:15 +0000 UTCa bell of some sort not having a size guide dificult to decide if sheep/goat bell or jess for a hawk
Bob Benton
2022-01-19 19:09:39 +0000 UTCYep I'd agree with Theresa it being a crotal bell
Oliver Baron
2022-01-19 18:28:42 +0000 UTCBell that would've hung round the neck of a bellwether.
Susie Stockton-Link
2022-01-19 17:19:21 +0000 UTCLooks like a crotal bell. Manufactured between the 13th and 15th Centuries? Maybe?
Theresa Cashin
2022-01-19 16:45:37 +0000 UTCIs that a Crotal Bell? It looks like it once had decoration. Awesome!
Kathy Shelton
2022-01-19 16:45:26 +0000 UTCA bell from an animal or from clothing - or a child's toy?
David Ford
2022-01-19 16:42:35 +0000 UTCMaybe a small Bell from a dancers skirt? Egtved-woman, buried in a hollowed oak coffin.
Pia Fredfeldt
2022-01-19 16:40:36 +0000 UTCCould be Roman after all. You can buy one on Ebay https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/173032535260
David Peachey
2022-01-19 16:40:32 +0000 UTCMaybe Tudor from a pet? Or maybe a joker‘s bell?
Gabriele Sarter
2022-01-19 16:32:20 +0000 UTChttps://hansonslive.hansonsauctioneers.co.uk/m/lot-details/index/catalog/38/lot/15454?url=%2Fm%2Fview-auctions%2Fcatalog%2Fid%2F38%3Fpage%3D4
David Peachey
2022-01-19 16:31:08 +0000 UTCLooks like a bell for a falcon's Jesse's!
Kay Theriault
2022-01-19 16:19:16 +0000 UTCCould be be a bell for falconry
Michael Stimson
2022-01-19 16:18:09 +0000 UTCIt’s a small bell that would decorate clothing.
Don Brunell
2022-01-19 16:07:38 +0000 UTCI also think it's a bell. Made of brass or bronze.
Dori Ownbey
2022-01-19 16:07:26 +0000 UTCMy vote is a bell.
Trevor Rix
2022-01-19 16:02:11 +0000 UTCThat's supposed to be a bell oh, my phone doesn't understand me.
Priscilla Logan
2022-01-19 15:53:01 +0000 UTCI think it's a bill that goes on a horse's harness.
Priscilla Logan
2022-01-19 15:52:18 +0000 UTCNot sure about this Bell idea. The circular hole is an anomaly if it is. I'm thinking it may be a small container for measuring out something like a medicine or possibly a decoration from a 1st or 2nd century Infantry standard.
Steve Bray
2022-01-19 15:45:39 +0000 UTCIsn't it a bell like for a horse harness?
Caroline Borduin
2022-01-19 15:38:48 +0000 UTCYeah I'm with the consensus, it's a bell. The oxidization makes me think it's probably copper? Not sure what era - Bronze Age?
Melissa Gordon
2022-01-19 15:36:19 +0000 UTCRitual?
John Guppy
2022-01-19 15:35:04 +0000 UTCBell, fishing weight, sling weight, pomander ???
Cynthia Clearwater
2022-01-19 15:33:13 +0000 UTCPlus vacca campana
Steven Bradbery
2022-01-19 15:32:18 +0000 UTCBell. But whether it is Roman or Medieval I can't say. Possibly a tintinnabulum? What a lovely word.
Katie Hynes
2022-01-19 15:27:26 +0000 UTCIt looks like a bell. Not sure what era.
Pamela Brotherton
2022-01-19 15:15:08 +0000 UTCi have the answer it a thingy. Yes a thingy
James Matney
2022-01-19 15:14:26 +0000 UTCIS the small hole supposed to be there or is it damage
jennifer driscoll
2022-01-19 15:11:27 +0000 UTCI think it's a bell of some sort. Probably metal. Anglo saxon or viking
Sue webster
2022-01-19 15:10:44 +0000 UTCI agree it looks like a bell, but more of a status object rather than a useful tool such as a cow bell...
Steve Mikre
2022-01-19 15:10:21 +0000 UTCI definitely think it is some sort of bell.
Matthew Hauck
2022-01-19 15:06:40 +0000 UTCIs the some type of hallmark toward the bottom of the bell?
Stephanie Stewart
2022-01-19 15:03:53 +0000 UTCThe mystery object might be a horse bell, or crotal, dating to Medieval times…possibly the Bronze Age. Our guess is it is made of bronze. Cheers, Ross & Chris Kreamer
Ross G. Kreamer
2022-01-19 14:56:19 +0000 UTCA small bell
Julie Gray
2022-01-19 14:53:54 +0000 UTCRoman Sistrum bell? Not sure of size but being very small would argue for instrument or toy, larger for horse bell. Not sure if Roman's had fishing weights shaped like this. Some folk dress that echos Roman clothing have small weights at the tip of scarves or shawls.
Ann H
2022-01-19 14:52:22 +0000 UTCHow big is this? It is hollow, and meant to be attacked to something.
Alan McMillan
2022-01-19 14:48:30 +0000 UTCit certainly looks like a bell of some kind. if not that, a fishing weight?
Donna Shelton
2022-01-19 14:44:28 +0000 UTCYes a Bell, maybe for a horse?
Michael
2022-01-19 14:42:57 +0000 UTCis it a medieval bridle bell.. High status horseman.. perhaps?
Carrie Hartley
2022-01-19 14:39:39 +0000 UTCI have no clue!🤦♀️ Alice Murphy said a hand grenade, I will go with that one!💁♀️ 😁
Sonia Hamilton
2022-01-19 14:39:21 +0000 UTCWhat's the material? If metal, my guess is a bell. If stone, some kind of weight.
Beth
2022-01-19 14:38:03 +0000 UTCEither that, or a tiny hand grenade, perhaps! ;) (scale is everything—I thought it was cannonball sized at first) But yeah, I vote for a bell as well.
Alice Murphy
2022-01-19 14:33:44 +0000 UTCIt does seem bell shaped, but I'm going to go wild and say it is a hypercorse flew cleaner.
bil Jeschke
2022-01-19 14:33:05 +0000 UTCI also guess a bell, possibility for animals, or falconers, but also mibee for small bairns so as parents know where they are? I know of places here in shetland where you tied the bairns to the house to stop them falling over the banks (cliffs)
Michael leask
2022-01-19 14:28:50 +0000 UTCWithout size clues my instant thought is it’s a small bell. Otherwise, it could be some sort of potpourri container
Graham Dombkins
2022-01-19 14:23:42 +0000 UTCA bell, here in the USA, many were often put on horse harnesses at Chrismas Time during the horse wagon and cart era.
Owen Terry Shaw
2022-01-19 14:21:53 +0000 UTCA cowbell?
Paul Saint
2022-01-19 14:21:34 +0000 UTCThe holes are interesting. The jagged rip is probably just damage, but the round holes look deliberate. Was it strung on something for later use?
Dorothy Africa
2022-01-19 14:20:41 +0000 UTCWikipedia has an image of an almost identical bell found at a site in Tennessee: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cowbell#/media/File:Hawksbelleasttennmound.png
Shannon Stubsten
2022-01-19 14:19:18 +0000 UTCBronze bell
Dodi Thomas Mawer
2022-01-19 14:17:46 +0000 UTCA small bell! It's a little squished but easily recognisable!
Hardtreads
2022-01-19 14:12:30 +0000 UTCAppears to be a bronze crotal bell. Likely was placed around a herd animals neck. It’s smallness indicates perhaps for sheep.
John McFeeters
2022-01-19 14:11:52 +0000 UTCA bell for an animal is what it looks like to me. Perhaps it's simple a decoration for something? Maybe it's ritual lol
Gary Norman
2022-01-19 14:10:27 +0000 UTCIt would help if we knew what is was made from but I would go with a cow bell, middle ages.
David Peachey
2022-01-19 14:08:19 +0000 UTCA Crotal bell, also known as a rumble bell used on all sorts of things, mostly animals to warn of approach. I’m guessing 17th century and made of bronze.
David Cook
2022-01-19 14:08:13 +0000 UTCMy reaction was a bell.
Anne Collinson
2022-01-19 14:06:54 +0000 UTCI agree with all the previous posts, a bronze bell for a horse harness perhaps? Now watch us all be wrong!!
William Butler
2022-01-19 14:06:44 +0000 UTCLooks like a squashed bell
Zoe Propper
2022-01-19 14:02:25 +0000 UTCa falconry bell
Denise DuBois
2022-01-19 14:00:22 +0000 UTCBell was my instant reaction
Darylyn Phraner
2022-01-19 13:59:50 +0000 UTCIt certainly looks like a bronze bell!
Ivor Balke
2022-01-19 13:58:40 +0000 UTCSmall bell, bronze, from a horse harness. Mediaeval?
Victoria Stretch
2022-01-19 13:58:32 +0000 UTCLooks like a jingle bell
Leah Kotok
2022-01-19 13:58:03 +0000 UTCIndeed a small bell
Leen Hoop
2022-01-19 13:57:56 +0000 UTCYup, that there is a what is technically called "a bell"
Paul moffitt
2022-01-19 13:57:51 +0000 UTCLooks like a bell, possibly from a horses harness.
Paul Tomblin
2022-01-19 13:57:40 +0000 UTCLooks like a small bell, similar to one used by falconers.
Daniel Wheeler
2022-01-19 13:56:52 +0000 UTCLooks like a bell to me
Duncan Bartlett
2022-01-19 13:56:13 +0000 UTC
