Hey Blog! Back in February, I had one of the best archaeological opportunities ever and so of course I’ll tell you all about it!
No, it wasn’t to be the next presenter/specialist on one of my favourite archaeology TV programmes. It was to go to London to talk to people about what I’ve been doing with the Derbyshire Scouts Archaeology (DSA) team, Youth Committee, and digs. In particular, a find from Willersley that I couldn’t tell you about before, as it had not been identified – the most spectacular thing I’ve ever been present at the finding of. Two members of the Youth Committee were metal detecting when they uncovered an Anglo-Saxon brooch – a Great Square Headed brooch, to be precise, with some of its features indicating a local style of design. During the dig, no one was certain if it was genuine – but later analysis by the Portable Antiquities Scheme proved it was, and luckily the DSA team was able to keep it (the treasure laws are very complicated, but this brooch was not counted as something that needs to be given to the Crown).
Besides being a find of historical interest (perhaps not national importance but still exceptionally interesting and locally significant, if the “local group” similar brooch design theory is correct) and of immense pride for the DSA team, it is also very beautiful – I would wear it, if it wasn’t so delicate and the pin was missing. Remarkably, it has remained mostly untarnished in the ground – the ferrous pin hinge has mild corrosion, but the silver gilt copper alloy brooch part is still bright. Estimated to be made 520-575 AD/CE, it is around 1500 years old, and I am extremely envious – the brooch was found just a few metres away from where I was and I didn’t find it – but it’s a good way for more people to be interested, by a chance find.
Back to what I was doing at this opportunity. The Youth Committee has been funded by an organisation called Youth United – they fund ‘uniformed groups’ and the current project they have been doing is heritage-based – and this was the chance to tell the people from the organisation, as well as other groups funded similarly, what we’ve been doing and why they should continue to give us their support. The brooch, which we had the chance to take to show, was obviously the star attraction; I then had an idea for a timeline. My signature activity, it seems – I’ve done several now! – but this was a timeline of brooches. After borrowing a Roman Fibula brooch, raiding the family jewellery box for one of Nanny’s old brooches, and buying a Victorian/20th century imitation of a Georgian Cameo brooch, and printing out four images of brooches from other time periods, I had an activity where people who came to my stall could guess the time period as a group. I then prepared a short slideshow presentation, and formulated several topics into a mini speech, which did get reordered with each telling, but worked to catch people’s attention.
We went down to London, spent a few hours in the British Museum looking at other examples of Great Square Headed Brooches from the Anglo-Saxon period, and then Tubed across London to the venue by the Thames. I then changed into Explorer Uniform and set up the table with the timeline, the brooches, and the laptop. Then, all I had to do was wait for the guests to arrive. They soon did – and mine seemed to be a popular stall. Perhaps being the only young person there actually running their own session about the project helped – as did the timeline activity. Everyone loved it. After all, holding a brooch over a millennium old doesn’t happen every day! People were relatively accurate dating the brooches, and I only had to correct a couple of them each time. I might have to steal that activity to run somewhere else, perhaps as an evening activity on the experimental archaeology camp later this year. I think my enthusiasm came across, and Youth United are very keen to help us in the future. In all this was an absolutely wonderful session, and I think taking part confirmed my choice – I definitely want archaeology to be part of my future.
