From BBC News online
Last Updated: Thursday, 22 November 2007, 17:00 GMT
Enthusiast unearths Iron Age comb
A 2,000-year-old Iron Age comb unearthed in Warwickshire is one of nearly 60,000 archaeological finds made by members of the public in a year.
The comb, found in Tanworth-in-Arden by metal detector enthusiast Russell Peach, was one of the most notable of the antiquities unearthed in 2006.
The copper-alloy comb was possibly left there between 25AD and 75AD.
Three-quarters of the finds were unearthed using metal detectors; the rest were found by accident.
Details of the discoveries were contained in the Portable Antiquities Scheme Annual Report, launched on Thursday at the British Museum.
'Living thing'
Other notable finds include a copper-alloy Roman horse and rider figure, which was found in Cambridgeshire.
A total of 58,290 finds were recorded by the project during the year 2006/2007, taking the number of finds recorded over the past decade to more than 300,000.
Culture Secretary Margaret Hodge said: "This report brings home to us once again the extent and richness of our 'hidden heritage'.
"As public interest in it continues unabated, I am pleased to acknowledge the many thousands of responsible metal detectorists and amateur archaeologists who continue to help make the past a living thing for present and future generations."
Under the Treasure Act 1996, people who find gold and silver objects more than 300 years old have a legal obligation to report them to the authorities.
Because the comb is made of copper-alloy and not gold or silver it does not qualify as a treasure find.
Important archaeological sites have been discovered as a result of the objects recorded, including Anglo-Saxon burial sites in Derbyshire, Suffolk and Warwickshire.
Another story with photos of the artifacts (posted at beginning of this post is at the Daily Mail, November 23, 2007 - scroll down for the coverage (article posted in full in prior post):
The copper alloy comb, which dates from AD25 to AD75 is thought to have been used for horses and has been described by the British Museum as a "phenomenal thing".
The museum encourages the portable antiquities scheme, a voluntary code to encourage metal detector owners in England and Wales to report finds to local museums.
The scheme is so successful that as many 300,000 finds were reported in its first decade.
No separate information was provided about the "Roman horse and rider" in this article, only the photograph of the objects. Are the really "Roman?" Perhaps they date to the Roman period, but my first impression upon seeing them was of Scythian art. Okay, so I'm crazy! I'd like to see further research on this.
As for the comb being a "horse comb" - please! Why would a comb used on horses be so beautifully decorated - and have that hole in the middle of the crown, just begging for ribbons or a colorful scarve to be threaded through? Only a male archaeologist would call this a "horse comb." It takes a woman to recognize a lady's comb when she sees one. This is no different in basic design than the combs the donas and maidens in Spain wore in their hair more than a thousand years later, or the combs that ladies used to keep their "do's" in place throughout history. Geez!
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