10 September 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

Roman gilded silver fragment uncovered in Norfolk baffles researchers

In Norfolk, a metal detector uncovered an ancient Roman fragment made of gilded silver. The piece was clearly a part of something, but what?

Although experts from the UK and Europe have been consulted, the mystery remains unsolved.

Is it a piece of an old Roman inscription or some other unidentified artifact? Scientists acknowledge their frustration in their inability to identify the late Roman-era 1 in (26mm) by 0.5 in (13mm) piece discovered close to Diss.

Finding the Norfolk county liaison officer, Dr. Helen Geake told the BBC: “The most basic question of all is, ‘what was this?’ … it’s a bit frustrating.”

“It is at the high end of silver-smithing in the Roman world and part of the sort of thing that would have been produced and used across the whole of Roman Empire, from Egypt to Hadrian’s Wall, from Morocco to Hungary.

But what is it? If we can’t find a parallel already in a collection, we can’t say what it was or what it was part of,” Dr. Geake said.

A fragment of gilded silver treasure has left experts baffled. Photo: Andrew Williams/ Norfolk County Council
A fragment of gilded silver treasure has left experts baffled. Photo: Andrew Williams/ Norfolk County Council

“I hope someone gets in touch with the answer,” Dr. Geake added.

The last time she appealed for help with a mysterious object, she was contacted on Twitter by someone who had the solution.

The thin fragment was discovered by a detectorist who reports his finds to the Portable Antiquities Scheme on a regular basis.

Many hundreds of thousands of archaeological artifacts have been found by members of the public in Britain, and the British Museum just announced that 1.5 million of those artifacts have now been recorded under its Portable Antiquities Scheme. These finds have radically transformed what we know about life through time on the British Isles.

Cover Photo: A close-up of the curious Roman fragment. Andrew Williams/ Norfolk County Council

Related Articles

Archaeologists unearthed the exact place of the tomb of Saint Nicholas, also known as “Santa Claus,” and the floor on which he walked

17 October 2022

17 October 2022

An excavation team has discovered the exact location of Saint Nicholas’ tomb, also known as “Santa Claus,” as well as...

An ancient bronze hand may be the oldest and longest example of Vasconic script

20 February 2024

20 February 2024

Researchers have discovered rare evidence of an enigmatic ancient language on a 2,000-year-old bronze hand. The inscription on the hand...

In Moravia, archaeologists discover divine thrones, thousands of artifacts and a new settlement

13 August 2021

13 August 2021

During a four-year dig in the Moravian city (Czech Republic) of Perov, rare gems, mysterious burial places, and divine thrones...

The 11-meter giant statue of the island of Naxos “Dionysus of Apollonas”

22 March 2023

22 March 2023

One of the two ancient marble quarries, thought to have begun the sculpture, the greatest art of antiquity, is located...

Ancient Tamil Nadu’s Metalworking Legacy Traced Back to 3300 BCE

7 February 2025

7 February 2025

Recent archaeological research has uncovered compelling evidence that Tamil Nadu’s metalworking traditions date back to at least 3300 BCE, highlighting...

At Ostrowite, archaeologists have discovered a high-status burial dating back almost a thousand years

2 January 2022

2 January 2022

Archaeologists have discovered a burial chamber in Ostrowite, in Poland’s Pomeranian Voivodeship, containing several high-status grave goods from the 11th...

Prehistoric Star Map Carved in Stone Discovered in Bulgaria

14 July 2025

14 July 2025

A recently uncovered archaeological site in the Rhodope Mountains of southern Bulgaria is now entering the scientific spotlight. In a...

An Urartian female executive grave was found at the Çavuştepe Mound

9 September 2021

9 September 2021

The grave of an Urartian, who was buried with his horse, cattle, and dog, had been found recently. Today, another...

Ancient settlements that challenge traditional thinking “Karahantepe and Taş Tepeler”

5 December 2021

5 December 2021

After Göbeklitepe in Şanlıurfa, which sheds light on 12,000 years ago in human history and is considered one of the...

3,500-Year-Old Opal Workshop and Rare Lithophones Unearthed in Vietnam

17 August 2025

17 August 2025

Archaeologists in Vietnam’s Gia Lai province have uncovered a remarkable prehistoric site dating back more than 3,500 years. Excavations at...

Archaeologists Uncover Unique 6th Century Mosaic in Abandoned Byzantine Monastery

9 April 2025

9 April 2025

A recent excavation report from the Israel Antiquities Authority has revealed the discovery of a well-preserved Byzantine-period monastery and farmhouse...

3,500-year-old perfectly preserved ancient frozen bear found in Siberian

28 February 2023

28 February 2023

As the permafrost on Bolshoy Lyakhovsky Island in eastern Siberia melted, a mummified brown bear that lived more than three...

2000-year-old glass treasure in Roman shipwreck discovered by an underwater robot in Mediterranean

24 July 2023

24 July 2023

The Italian-French mission recovered a selection of glassware and raw glass blocks from the Roman shipwreck located at a depth...

World-first recreation of ancient Egyptian garden open

20 May 2022

20 May 2022

Have you ever wondered what an ancient Egyptian garden was like?  This is your opportunity to find out! The first...

Countless Votive Offerings Discovered at Ancient Sanctuary on Greek Island Kythnos

10 June 2023

10 June 2023

Archaeologists excavating a hilltop temple complex on the Cycladic island of Kythnos (commonly called Thermia) Greece have unearthed more than...