#FindsFriday Jet bear figurine

Today we will look at an amazing find from the Garrison site #FindsFriday.

This jet bear 🐻 is from a child’s cremation burial, which evidence dates to the late 3rd to early 4th century. Jet as a material was thought to have magical properties, so jet bears have been interpreted as ‘guardian spirits or totems’. It may be that the bear represents either the continental bear goddess Artio or the wider protective funerary power attributed to the animal. The location of jet bears in the UK have suggested that there may be association between them and children of military personnel.

Along with this little bear, the burial also contained: a small jar, an indented beaker, two colour-coated beakers, five copper-alloy coins, a small copper-alloy/silver ring, a silver ring with an intaglio, a silver pendant, two frit melon beads, a glass bead with iron and copper-alloy attached, and a jet ring! As the child was likely to young to wear or use many (if any!) of these items, it might be that these items were placed as votive offerings to help the child into the afterlife👀

To learn more, check out CAT report 412 at cat.essex.ac.uk 🧐