#FindsFriday A good luck charm!

Happy Friday the 13th everybody! For a previous #FindsFriday we highlighted this magnificent Medusa pendant, but we thought we’d bring her back today for her good luck tendencies!

The pendant was found during works near Butt Road in Colchester in 2012 in the grave of a child, and was made of jet. Jet was a rare material and used for grave goods by the Romans in the 3rd and 4th centuries.

Unlike today where the image of the gorgon is seen as scary or bad luck, during the Roman period she was seen as apotropaic– meaning “to avert evil or prevent bad luck”.

Hopefully she will bring us some good luck today!

To learn more about the Medusa pendant and other finds, check out CAT Report 1033 at: http://cat.essex.ac.uk/all-reports.html