Record Details
| NHER Number: | 39283 |
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| Type of record: | Find Spot |
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| Name: | Roman victory charm amulet |
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Summary
An extremely rare example of a Roman amulet or talisman, with Greek and Roman text inscribed onto a gold sheet. The inscription appeals to the protective gods Iao and Abraxis. It is only the fourth example to be found in this country. It may have originated in the Cologne area of Lower Germany.
Images - none
Location
| Grid Reference: | Not displayed |
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| Map Sheet: | TG02SW |
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| Parish: | BILLINGFORD, BRECKLAND, NORFOLK |
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Full description
April 2003. Casual Find.
A tablet of gold sheet with a Greek and Latin inscription appealing to the gods Iao and Abraxis was found in the front garden. It was found rolled up and unrolled by the finder. It is a Roman period spell or imprecation.
Further details to follow.
To be considered as Treasure.
Acquired by Norwich Castle Museum (NWHCM : 2005.297)
A. Rogerson (NLA), 21 April 2003. Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 5 May 2020.
This is a very rare example, one of only four known in the country.
See report by [1] of the British Museum and (S1) in file.
A. Rogerson (NLA), 5 December 2003.
This find has now been published in (S2) and (S3).
While (S2) notes that the tablet could have been imported from another site as it was found in garden topsoil, it is also of note that there is evidence of Roman settlement just to the southwest of this site at NHER 7206.
H. Hamilton (NLA), 25 January 2008.
(S4) Article relating to the showing of Billingford Lamella charm in Gold: power and allure exhibition.
M. Langham-Lopez (HES), 13 September 2012.
Monument Types
- FINDSPOT (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
Associated Finds
- CHARM (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
- CURSE (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
- DOCUMENT (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
Protected Status - none
Sources and further reading
| --- | Unpublished Document: Department for Culture, Media and Sport. 2004. Treasure Annual Report 2003. p 56; No 67; Fig 67. |
| --- | Photograph: NLA. Finds Photograph. |
| --- | Photograph: I & RS. Digital finds image. |
| --- | Newspaper Article: Eastern Daily Press. 2004. Row over 'magical' gold. 13 April. |
| --- | Newspaper Article: Eastern Daily Press. 2012. Norfolk's archaeological treasures revealed on TV. 16 July. |
| --- | Photograph: 2003. KTR 21, Romano British gold sheet spell tablet.. |
| --- | Secondary File: Secondary File. |
| <S1> | Newspaper Article: Eastern Daily Press. 2003. Gardener unearths magical treasure. 17 September. |
| <S2> | Article in Serial: Tomlin, R.S.O. & Hassall, M.W.C.. 2006. Roman Britain in 2005. III. Inscriptions. B. Instrumentum Domesticum.. Britannia XXXVII, 481-3. pp 481-483. |
| <S3> | Article in Serial: Tomlin, R. S. O.. 2004. A bilingual charm for health and victory.. Zeitschrift fur Papyrologie und Epigraphik. Vol 149, pp 259-66. pp 259-66. |
| <S4> | Newspaper Article: Eastern Daily Press. 2012. Ancient gold has power to dazzle in our Olympic year. 30 June. |
Related records - none
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