ROSSETT, WALES—The Shropshire Star reports that a metal detectorist alerted a local finds officer for the Portable Antiquities Scheme in Wales after uncovering the corner of a metal object that appeared to have markings on it. Archaeologists from Wrexham Museum and the Clwyd-Powys Archaeological Trust who reported to the scene unearthed a large lead ingot measuring about one and one-half feet long and weighing nearly 140 pounds. The writing on the possibly ancient ingot turned out to be a cast Latin inscription mentioning Marcus Trebellius Maximus, governor of the province of Britannia from A.D. 63 to 69. “We don’t yet know where this ingot has come from and we will probably never know where it was going to,” said Finds Officer Susie White. “However given the find spots of other ingots from Britain of similar date, it may have been destined for continental Europe, perhaps even Rome itself.” To read about a Viking hoard of silver ingots, coins, and jewelry discovered west of London, go to "Alfred the Great's Forgotten Ally."
