#FindsFriday Astonishingly rare & enigmatic - the Nesscliffe Iron Age spoons in the brilliant Shrewsbury Museum Only 28 are known from Britain & Ireland; only 6 discovered in the last century 😮. Thought to be Druidical tools for divination 🧙 I'll be talking about these next Fri & Sat 📷 My own - ThreadSky

drtobydriver.bsky.social • 11 hours ago

#FindsFriday Astonishingly rare & enigmatic - the Nesscliffe Iron Age spoons in the brilliant Shrewsbury Museum

Only 28 are known from Britain & Ireland; only 6 discovered in the last century 😮. Thought to be Druidical tools for divination 🧙

I'll be talking about these next Fri & Sat

📷 My own

Comments

bowman120.bsky.social•7 hours ago

Toby, are there continental parallels for these? And is there anything substantive to suggest these were used in divination?

drtobydriver.bsky.social•6 hours ago

No continental parallels apart from a pair from north France, probably an export from Britain.

Function is a complex web of evidence. More here: https://www.youtube.com/live/VVr9Df-cHIc?si=YuOadJcYxIgNERV5

louiestowell.bsky.social•9 hours ago

"Possible ritual use. Or serving avocados" :)

drtobydriver.bsky.social•9 hours ago

Yes of course - avocados are the only possible alternative use 😄

louiestowell.bsky.social•9 hours ago

Seems highly plausible in the climate right?

coileyparjely.bsky.social•11 hours ago

I just went past where they were found. Heading north

drtobydriver.bsky.social•11 hours ago

Nice 👌

coileyparjely.bsky.social•8 hours ago

Sorry I got over excited and thought that this was the pair found at castell nadolig

drtobydriver.bsky.social•8 hours ago

No - but these are also rather good

bernardblek.bsky.social•8 hours ago

Looks like holly grenade.

drtobydriver.bsky.social•8 hours ago

The Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch? 😮

bernardblek.bsky.social•6 hours ago

The one and only 😃

craighillman.bsky.social•2 hours ago

Very intriguing! I magine they might have been filled with liquid to become a sort of magic mirror... (They do rather remind me of the stackable brass ashtrays my grandparents had back in the 50s/60s—although the only divination those possibly did was predicting emphysema.)

drtobydriver.bsky.social•1 hour ago

There is a similarity there...🤔

janfrel.bsky.social•3 hours ago

Are there known cultural antecedents that stretch into the Paleolithic?

drtobydriver.bsky.social•2 hours ago

Not sure - huge topic

janfrel.bsky.social•2 hours ago

Fair. how about, are similar ones found across Europe in previous centuries? Does the tradition track across France and coasts of the North Sea?

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