GOSFIELD, ENGLAND—Analysis of an 800-year-old medieval silver seal discovered by a metal detectorist in eastern England in 2024 determined that it was made with a 2,000-year-old Roman jewel, according to a Live Science report. “It’s not common to have an object composed from two different time periods,” said Lori Rogerson, finds liaison officer for Essex. A loop on one end of the oval seal suggests that it may have been worn as a necklace. The inscription on the silver bezel reads, “SECRETUM.RICARDI,” or “Richard’s secret.” The center carnelian, engraved with an image of a two-horse chariot, has been dated to the late first century B.C. or the early first century A.D. To read about an incised carnelian that predates the Roman period, go to "Artifact: Etruscan Carved Gemstone."
