Rare runes and Roman hoards: 5 treasures discovered in UK last year
We look at some of the most eye-catching archaeological finds made by members of the public A gold cross with runic inscription found in Northumberland. Photograph: Rex/Shutterstock The British Museum has recorded more than 50,000 archaeological finds, of which 1,000 were treasure , made by members of the general public in 2020. Here are some of the highlights. A record-breaking pendant The millionth record logged on the Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS) database was a copper alloy medieval harness pendant found in Binbrook, Lincolnshire. A seal belonging to a woman of status An unusual silver seal matrix dating to the early 13th century inscribed in Latin with the name Matilda de Cornhill was found at Hollingbourne, Kent. It depicts a kneeling female figure, assumed to be a representation of Matilda herself, praying to the enthroned virgin and child, a well-known motif of the medieval period. The find is unusual because seal matrices from this period were mo...