Archaeological treasures on display in Winchester (From This is Hampshire)

Archaeological treasures on display in Winchester

9:23am Wednesday 12th August 2009 in

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A SELECTION of archaeological treasures from across Hampshire has gone on display at Winchester’s Guildhall this month.

Medieval rings, pieces of pottery and Bronze Age axes are just some of the finds collected by the national Portable Antiquities Scheme which is celebrating its 10th anniversary.

The voluntary scheme records archaeological objects found by members of the public using metal detectors, gardening or simply out walking.

The event is being run alongside a free-finds identification day at the Discovery Centre this Saturday (AUGUST 15) between 10am and 4pm.

Rob Webley, the Hampshire Portable Antiquities Scheme Finds Liaison Officer, and colleagues from the museums service will be on hand to try to identify your mysterious finds and tell you more about these clues from the past.

All the finds that qualify will be recorded onto the Portable Antiquities Scheme’s national database to help build up the picture of life in and around Hampshire in the past.

He said: “Each year many thousands of archaeological objects, or ‘portable antiquities’, are found by members of the public. Recent Finds Days have seen such objects brought in as Roman coins, fragments of medieval pottery, intriguing figurines - even a prehistoric stone axe. I can’t wait to see what interesting and unusual objects people will bring in this time.”

The finds on display at the Guildhall were all made by members of the public, and acquired or donated to Winchester or Hampshire Museums Services through the scheme.

Since 1999 more than 16,000 artefacts have been found by people in Hampshire with around 2,000 logged in the last 12 months alone.

This event is part of Winchester City Council’s Surviving the Stone Age exhibition, a family friendly display of artefacts and Ice Age animal bones, full of hands-on activities. The event is free and no booking is required.

The objects will be on show until September 30 in the foyer. For more information on the scheme visit finds.org.uk