#FindsFriday Gold Plaque

Happy #FindsFriday everybody! Today we’re going to look at something very rare to find on an archaeological site – gold!

During our 2018 excavations at the Mercury Theatre, Colchester, we were lucky enough to find this small gold votive plaque. It was processed under the Treasure Act and donated to Colchester Museums.

It was sent to the British Museum where it was analysed by specialists who analysed the find, describing it as a “square shaped flat gold tablet with punched Latin or Greek lettering”. There are three fields of punched lettering reading “INTRAA/ELIOS/OO YY” and Dr Roger Tomlin suggested that this could translate to “within the Aelii” or “enter the Aelii” – although what this means is a mystery!

Similar examples of small votive tablets can be found in the collection of York Museums Trust, and they were used to hang within or on a building in a dedicative or religious context, however these examples are both made of copper rather than gold!

We wonder what this small plaque could have been used for?

For more information check out CAT Report 1775 at: http://cat.essex.ac.uk/