Hi, all. Here is a another set of interesting lead artifacts, along the lines of the lead amphorae posted earlier, found along the beach near
Caesarea in the late 1960's and 70's. They are in the form of miniature heads, apparently meant to be crimped on to a shaft or other
type of object. My father thought he recalled seeing a similar one attached to an iron blade at the Metropolitan Museum of Art,
New York, many years ago, but I have not been able to confirm this. The thought is that these could have been pommels for small ceremonial daggers awarded to
military officers or other dignitaries. They all have different features and adornments, which sort of reminds me of the different
types and features of the horsemen on the FEL TEMP coins, perhaps commemorating victories against the various
enemies of Rome. They all have external mold lines, and smooth interiors with no trace of a seam, so I think they were made in a two
part mold using the "slush casting" technique to produce hollow spaces. At least one
type (BCC LH6 and LH7) is known from three identical specimens, all from the same mold, all from
Caesarea. I will be posting the individual objects over the next few days, and anyone having or knowing of similar objects is encouraged to post them along with other ideas or comments. We are hoping to eventually have these published in a volume which would include lead objects from a number of
collections comprised of material from
Caesarea, shedding light on what was obviously a major industrial and cultural aspect of the ancient city. Any corrections or
additions to the descriptions and suggestions on the possible
ethnic origins of the identifying features would also be most appreciated.
Thanks, V-drome
(click for larger pic)
