Pals stumble on rare Roman ‘souvenir’

A RARE bronze vessel found by a group of metal detecting pals may have been a Roman soldier’s souvenir of army service at Hadrian’s Wall, experts say.

The pan, made in the second century AD, is decorated with Celtic style motifs in blue, red, turquoise and yellow. It has an unusual inscription listing four forts at the Western end of Hadrian's Wall Bowes, Drumburgh, Stanwix and Castlesteads and even bears a name, Aelius Draco.

Kevin Blackburn, 47, from Uttoxeter, Staffordshire, stumbled on the find while out walking with three fellow enthusiasts in the Staffordshire hills on June 29.

"We knew when we found the object that it was very important," he said. "There's four of us that go out every Sunday and we've never found anything like this before."

The pan has been described by experts as a "very rare find". Until the discovery of this pan, only two other examples were known with inscriptions naming forts on Hadrian's Wall the Rudge Cup, discovered in Wiltshire in 1725, and the Amiens Patera, found in Amiens in 1949.

Mr Blackburn, who has been using his metal detector for eight years, said the group found the pan about a foot underground.

"We got pretty excited," he said.

The four friends made a pact years ago that if they found anything of value they would share the money if it was sold. They have come across thousands of objects ranging from Georgian coins and rings to thimbles and buckles, but this was their first big find.

Julian Lee, 42, a member of the group, said: "When it was found I thought it was something awesome and something special. We knew we had something great."

The group reported the find to Jane Stewart, local finds officer for the Portable Antiquities Scheme, which encourages people to report their archaeological discoveries. She called in experts and curators, who said the pan was well preserved.

Mr Lee said any money would be split 50% to the farmer who owns the land and 50% to the group.

It is hoped the find will go on display at the British Museum as part of a special exhibition opening in November, called Buried Treasure: Finding Our Past.