[First posted in AWOL 31 July 2021, updated 18 December 2024]
Current and recent print editions of Lucerna are available solely to members of the Roman Finds Group. Published twice-yearly, this newsletter is now past its 50th edition.
Lucerna contains all that this website does, and even more: articles submitted by members, recently-discovered artefacts, appeals for help with identification, as well as information on all the page headings above, in greater detail, such as summaries of study days and conferences, book reviews and forthcoming events.
Contributions are always welcome - short notes or longer articles - so please send them to our editor Matt Fittock (see 'RFG Committee' page), and share your knowledge, information and requests with the rest of the Roman Finds Group.
Older editions of Lucerna are available to download free of charge below. More recent editions of Lucerna, along with all RFG Datasheets, can be accessed via our 'members login' area, at the bottom of this page.
(Please note that contact details of current committee members should be taken from our 'RFG Committee' page above, not from these archive Lucernae.)
Lucerna 63, July 2022
Davis, Glynn J. C. Jar Pendants from Roman Britain: Reconsidering the Ivory Bangle Lady’s Earrings’ 7-15 Paites, Ben Roman inscriptions at Colchester Museums 16-17 Lucerna 61, July 2021
Nicola Hurt Toward a typology of hare and hound folding knife handles. 7 Lisa Brundle, Laura Burnett, John Pearce,
Lucy Shipley and Sally WorrellThe Leasingham horse and other animals: three zoomorphic objects reported to the
Portable Antiquities Scheme in 202011 Barbara Birley and Stephen Greep A New Antler Roundel Pendant with Phallic Decoration from Vindolanda 16 Lucerna 60, January 2021
John Pearce ‘If you love me…’ An Inscribed Brooch from Orton, Northants 5 Stephen Greep Two-Piece Bone Hairpins with Carved Busts from Roman Britain 9 Lucerna 59, July 2020
Glynn J.C. Davis & Martin Henig The Recent Re-discovery of Roman and Later Intaglios at Colchester Museums 7 John Pearce, Angie Bolton & Sally Worrell Love Handles: A Roman Folding Knife with a Sex Scene from Mappleborough Green, Warwickshire 20 Lucerna 58, January 2020
Adam Parker A Marble Relief of the ‘All-Suffering Eye’ in Woburn Abbey 6 Roland Cobbett The Colliton Park Dice Tower and others Made of Wood and Bone 10 Lucerna 57, July 2019
Summer L. Courts and Timothy M. Penn A Corpus of Gaming Boards from Roman Britain 4 Alastair Willis An Anthropomorphic Cosmetic Mortar from Flintham, Nottinghamshire 13 Lucerna 56, January 2019
Gil Burleigh and Ralph Jackson AImages of Silenius from the Territoriu, of Romano-British Baldock 4 Natasha Harlow Roman Bone Gaming Counters from Caistor St Edmund 8 Lucerna 55, July 2018
Michael Marshall An Anthropomorphic Clasp-Knife Handle
from the Thames Foreshore at London5 Jörn Schuster Is there such a thing as a Roman Slate Stylus? 8 Lucerna 54, January 2018
Gil Burleigh Finds from Sacred Places in the
Landscape around Romano-British Baldock5 Piercebridge, County Durham Mystery Objects 19 Lucerna 53, June 2017
Michael Marshall Stained Bone Hairpins from Roman London 6 RFG Spring Conference, St Albans 11 Can you help? Linchpins and a Silver Finger-ring 6 Lucerna 52, January 2017
Adam Parker A Copper-Bowl with Phallic Decoration from Trier,
in the Collection of the Yorkshire Museum5 Martin J. Dearne A Crossed Line:
A Slightly Different (?Military) Harness Mount9 Adam Parker Mystery Object:
A Gold Plaque in the Yorkshire Museum10 David Sherlock Bringing Writing Tablets to Life 11 Lucerna 51, June 2016
Glynn J.C. Davis Bone Spatulate Strips From Roman London 6 Tatiana Ivleva Ongoing Research:
Global Glass Adornments Event Horizon in the
Late Iron Age and Roman Period Frontiers
(100 BC – AD 250)15 Lucerna 50, January 2016
Ben Paites The Manufacture and Symbolism of Radiating
Designs on Brooches in Roman Britain14-21 John Pearce, Sally Worrell and Frank Basford Mars, Roma or Love. Actually?
A New Monogram Brooch from Britain22-23 Philip Smither Ongoing Research:
Romano-British Weighing Instruments24-25 Lucerna 49, July 2015
Humphreys, 0wen and Marshall, Michael “The same, but different”: a miscellany of ‘Bügelzangen’ and related objects from Roman London 4-14 K. Adams, D. Boughton, A. Byard, R. Griffiths, M. Phelps, D. Williams, J. Pearce and S. Worrell From figurines to fob-danglers: finds from PAS 25-29 Lucerna 48, January 2015
Barbara Birley, Keeping up appearances: the wooden hair combs from Vindolanda 5 Gill Dunn Recent finds from Chester focusing on finds from the amphitheatre 5 Nicholas Ford EXPLORING SECONDARY USE AND MEANING IN ROMAN COINS WITH REFERENCE TO A NUMMUS OF DIOCLETIAN 8-10 Lucerna 47, July 2014
Greep, Stephen and Marshall, Michael Brigantian immigrants to Londinium? New finds of perforated bone ‘spoons’ 2-7 Worrell, Sally Mystery objects (bronze ?vessel fragment with relief, gilded disc brooch, and ithyphallic figurines) 21 Lucerna 46, January 2014
Dobson, Rebecca Ritual or refuse? A summary of an artefact assemblage from the river Tees, Piercebridge 2-4 Lydamore, Chris with Hall, Jenny and Jackson, Ralph Nodge Nolan obituary 5-6 Greep, Stephen Red deer at the end of Roman Britain- a change in diet, hunting practices or new industrial processes? 7-9 Lucerna 45, July 2013
Wardle, Angela and Marshall, Michael Two obsidian objects from Roman London (probably handles) 1-2 Worrell, Sally and Pearce, John A selection of Roman artefacts recorded by the Portable Antiquities Scheme in 2012 4-8 Greep, Stephen Some more fishes? (bone fish pendants) 13 Bowsher, Julian and Marshall, Michael A first glance at two prehistoric objects from Roman London Lucerna 44, January 2013
Cool, Hilary; Briggs, Stephen; Irving, Pam; Ward, Margaret; Henig, Martin Glenys Lloyd-Morgan: an appreciation; the life; the young archaeologist; Glenys at Chester; Glenys and Venus 1-5 Crummy, Nina Glenys Lloyd-Morgan: a bibliography 5-8 Swift, Ellen An Iron Age helmet from Kent 9 Henig, Martin The Silchester eagle: a comment 32-33 Lucerna 43, July 2012
Durham, Emma The Silchester eagle 7-8 Greep, Stephen Five little fishes…or more? (bone fish pendants) 8-11 Mackreth, Donald Dragonesque brooches (list including PAS items) 11-12 de Jersey, Philip Jersey: a new coin hoard (iron age coins) 12 Friendship-Taylor, Roy Mystery object 13 Lucerna 42, January 2012
Friendship-Taylor, Roy and Greep, Stephen A Claudian pit-group of bone hinges and box fittings from a ‘military’ latrine pit beneath the Piddington phase 1b proto-villa 2-9 Mackreth, Donald Brooches needing a home (plea from specialist who wants to return finds to excavators) 9-10 Statton, Michelle A follow-up on the AHRC collaborative doctoral awards, with an introduction to a study on dress, adornment and identity in late Iron Age and Roman Britain 16-19 Lucerna 41, July 2011
Aggujaro, Angela Roman razor from Bishop’s Cleeve, Cheltenham 3-5 Ferris, Iain Images of disabled and Africans/black people (plea for information) 7 Lucerna 40, January 2011
Dearne, Martin A flagon lid from Enfield and a note on the type 3-5 Lucerna 39, September 2010
Feugère, Michel The Artefacts Project: an encyclopaedia of archaeological small finds 4-6 Lucerna 38, July 2009
McIntosh, Frances Wirral brooch: a regional variant of Roman bow brooch 3-5 Sherlock, David Towards a typology of Romano-British spoons 5-8 Reynolds, Julie A puzzling object from South Wales- any clues gratefully received (unusual pair of tweezers) 8 Payne, Naomi and Durham, Emma The little horse from Chalk Pit Field, Sedgeford, Norfolk. 9-10 McIntosh, Frances Brooch patterns? (lead trumpet brooch) 10 Lucerna 37, March 2009
Daubney, Adam Romano-British ‘ToT’ rings- some variations 3-4 Crummy, Nina Evidence for an Isis cult in Colchester 4-5 Timby, Jane and Rigby, Val Gallo-Belgic pottery database 5 Hobbs, Richard British Museum collections now just one click away 6-7 Friendship Taylor, Roy (with Feugère, Michel) Mystery object identified (as Etruscan strainer) (see Lucerna 35) 13-14 Lucerna 36, July 2008
O’Riordan, Emma Jane Small finds in the bigger picture: 3D scanning of archaeological objects for education and interpretation 3-10 Henig, Martin A valedictory forbidding mourning (retrospective on his career as a small finds expert) 10-11 Dearne, Martin A little poser from Enfield (possible Roman horse harness mount) 11-13 Lucerna 35, March 2008
Dawson, Alan ‘Minerva’ wax spatula handle from near Norwich 2 Friendship-Taylor, Roy Mystery object 2 Williams, Sandie Plea for bells 3 Scott, Wendy Possible temple site in Leicestershire 3 Lucerna 34, December 2007
Webb, Dave A patera/trulleum from Clay Farm, Cambridgeshire. Notes from ongoing research and the development of an online resource 2-5 Lydamore, Chris A bath saucer from near Harlow, Essex 6 Lydamore, Chris A possible method of producing barbed projectile heads in the late Roman period 6-8 Lucerna 33, March 2007
Mould, Quita A double-headed button and loop fastener from Reighton, North Yorkshire 2-6 Shaffrey, Ruth The puddingstone rotary querns from Springhead Roman town, Kent 6-10 Lucerna 32, September 2006
Kiernan, Philip The Roman model objects project 2-3 Hobbs, Richard Unusual silver spoon fragment 4 Crummy, Nina A jug handle from Silchester 4-6 Lucerna 31, January 2006
Schuster, Jorn et al A late 5th – 6th century context (for a brooch) from Springhead, Kent 2-3 Jackson, Ralph Unusual greyhound brooch 4 Lucerna 30, September 2005
Hill, JD & Crummy, Nina Late Iron-Age shears from Hertfordshire 2-4 Pooley, Laura A gilded bone hairoin from Colchester 5 Puls, Jodi Roman hairpins from Hampshire 6 Watters, Julian Figurine of Harpcrates 7 Hobbs, Richard Unusual Roman ‘test piece’ 8 Williams, Sandie Two bone stoppers from Silchester 9 Jackson, Ralph An enamelled bronze pan from Staffordshire Moorlands, England: a souvenir from Hadrian’s Wall 10 Lucerna 29, January 2005
Palmer, John Catalogue of Roman Purbeck mortars 2-4 Major, Hilary A pincer-type brooch from Southwark 5 Booth, Paul Late Roman spurs from Lankhills, Winchester 6 Crummy, Nina An unusual lamp from Colchester 7 Reece, Richard The new Corinium Museum 8-9 Williams, Sandie Tubular ferrules 9-11 Cool, Hilary Brooches and moulds from Dymock 22 Lucerna 28, July 2004
Jackson, Ralph An unusual weapon find from Roman Britain 2-3 Wallace, Colin (Portable) pine cone symbolism in Roman Britain 4-6 Friendship-Taylor, Roy A new pair of Agathangelus type tweezers from Piddington Roman villa 6 Eckardt, Hella & Crummy, Nina Presenting the body – toilet instruments in Roman Britain 7 Tracey, Justine Purbeck marble inscriptions in Silchester 8-10 Minter, Faye Strap fasteners from Suffolk 12-14 Worrell, Sally Some new late Roman rivet spurs 20-22 Crummy, Nina Using the Portable Antiquities Scheme data for research (using nail cleaners as a source) 23-27 Lucerna 27, January 2004
Major, Hilary The dating of Puddingstone querns 2-4 Bolton, Angie Ox-head bucket mounts – a plea for details 4-5 Cool, Hilary A soldier from Herculaneum 5-7 Hoffman, Birgitta A brief note on the end date of the Cipius Polybius skillets 8-9 Herepath, Nick A survey of Roman brooches from Cheshire 9-12 Herepath, Nick ‘Jelly baby’ mounts from Yorkshire 13 Crummy, Nina And there’s more (wax spatula handles) 21 Tongue, James Seal boxes from Britain – a morphological review 23-41 Lucerna 26, July 2003
Jackson, Ralph A new treasure and a new goddess for Roman Britain 2-4 Crummy, Nina Hunter-god handle from Yorkshire 5-6 McSloy, Ed A zoomorphic clasp-knife handle from Gloucester 6-8 Cambridge, Owen & Watt, Tommy The northernmost Roman brooch from Britain 8 Feugere, Michel Penknives from Newstead: writing accessories 9-11 Hobbs, Richard New iron Age site from East Leicestershire 12-14 Pugsley, Paola Pasta shapes 14-15 Croom, Alex Sexing brooches 16-19 Lucerna 25, January 2003
Eckardt, Hella & Hobbs, Richard An unusual decorated candlestick from Springhead, Kent 2-5 Robinson, Dan & Clarke, Vanessa Possible temple inscription found in Chester 6 Grew, Francis & Brown, Gary Londiniensium – cast in stone 7-8 Snape, Margaret A worked stone from the vicus at South Shields (Arbeia) 8 Jackson, Ralph & Friendship-Taylor, Roy The Piddington gladiator clasp-knife 9-11 Hill, JD A pair of silver penannular brooches from Wheathampstead 11-12 Wardle, Angela Ivory implements from London 12-13 Worrell, Sally More Minerva bust wax spatula handles 13 Crummy, Nina Other types of wax spatula from Britain 14-17 Lucerna 24, July 2002
Pugsley, Paola An item of Roman coopered furniture from Dorchester (Dorset) 7-10 Worrell, Sally Some portable antiquities from Hampshire and Wiltshire 13-14 Geake, Helen New wax spatula from Suffolk 14-15 Greep, Stephen More amulets (Silchester) 15 Eckardt, Hella Candlesticks in Roman Britain 15-16 Cool, Hilary The Catterick Gallus 18-21 Lucerna 23, January 2002
Major, Hilary Roman decorated iron styli 2-6 Crummy, Nina Wax spatula handle from Yorkshire 6-8 Johns, Catherine A gold amulet-pendant from Eaton Constantine, Shropshire 9-10 Dunn, Gillian Bronze vessels from Middlewich 11 Eckardt & Crummy Ivory folding-knife handle from Silchester 12-13 Abauzit, Pierre No more mystery? Bone phalluses – an explanation for the mystery widgets in Lucerna 22 13-14 Harrison, Emma Box appeal – boxes found from Grateley South, Hants 14-15 Codreanu-Windauer, Silvia & Bartei, Antja(Trans, Eckardt & Crummy) Spindle, Whorl, Pot – a remarkable group of grave goods from Bavaria 17-27 Lucerna 22, July 2001
Crummy, Nina Nail-cleaners: regionality at the clean edge of Empire 2-6 Wardle, Angela Mystery widgets – 2 unusual bone objects from London 7 Stokes, Mike with contributions from Henig, M & Johns, C Rings and things 7-8 Pugsley, Paola Etruscan hinged shoes 9-10 Penny, Stephen Lead salt pans 11 Cotton, Jon Bibliography of sets of gaming counters 12-13 Lucerna 21, January 2001
Pugsley, Paola Of Timotei and boxwood combs 3-6 Hembrey, Nicola Help needed – mystery sandstone ?table fragment 7 Crummy, Nina Toy storey – stacked counters from Colchester 7 Carter, Barry Two lead bull heads from Cambridgeshire 7-8 Paynton, Ceinwen Button-and-loop fasteners in a Roman province: A step towards a regional typology? 8-9 Pugsley, Paola Wooden combs and niche markets 9-10 Lucerna 20, July 2000
Cooke, Nick Antler combs, big hair and the Mafia in late Roman Britain – an e-mail correspondence 3-7 Eckardt, Hella An imported candlestick from Silchester 8 Crummy, Nina An unusual brooch from Heybridge 8-9 Carter, Barry A lead model from St Albans 10 Crummy, Nina et al Agathangelus stamp 10-11 Snape, Margaret Some unusual brooches from Arbeia Roman fort, South Shields 12 Lucerna 19, January 2000
Cool, Hilary Hairstyles and lifestyles 3-6 Crummy, Nina A late Roman grave group from Durobrivae 7-10 Lucerna 18, July 1999
Cool Hilary Surfing the database 9-10 Allason-Jones, Lindsay Gilding the black lily 11-12 Carter Barry Lead brooches from Gloucester 12-13 Lucerna 17, January 1999
Cooper, Nick Mystery objects from excavations at Scole, Norfolk/Suffolk 1993-94 3-6 Crimmins, Julia &Keally, Claire A fibula in Dublin 6-8 Lucerna 16, July 1998
Riddler, Ian Hone News from Abroad: The Clausentium Lamella 3 Guest, PeterJohns, Catherine The Hoxne Hoard – an update 4-8 Lucerna 15, March 1998
Dearne, Martin Research into Brooch Catchplate Return Decoration 3-4 Allen, Vincent Mystery objects from Clausentium- bone objects 6 Lucerna 14, July 1997
Pollard, Richard A ceramic cult figure from LeicesterLonger version published in Britannia 29 (1998) 2-4 Hoffman, Birgitta Millefiori gaming counters 5-6 Ponting, Matthew Roman Military Metalwork from Masada and Gamla, Israel: the chemistry of soldier and civilian in first century Palestine 7-9 Lucerna 13, January 1997
Cool, Hilary Panelled enamel vessels 2-3 Lucerna 12, August 1996
Snape, Margaret First century brooches on the northern frontier 2-5 Lucerna 11, April 1996
Mackreth, Don Colchesters in the North 5-8 Seeley, Fiona An enigmatic object from Scole 12 Lucerna 10, November 1995
Wallace, Colin Gallo-Roman clay figurines: how to find your way around the literature 2-5 Dearne, Martin Spoon brooches 6 Wise, Philip A fragment of Roman silver plate from Ratley and Upton 7-8 Lucerna 9, June 1995
Dearne, Martin A burning question (Roman coal use in Britain) (Later article published:Dearne, M. I. & Branigan K. The use of coal in Roman Bntain Ant. J.75 (1995), 71-105) 3-4 Seeley, Fiona Roman doorbells 5-6 Lucerna 8, March 1994
Croom, Alex & Snape, Margaret Grave goods from the cemetery at Arbeia Roman fort, South Shields 1-2 Lucerna 7, April 1993
– – – Lucerna 6, July 1992
Cool, Hilary Introducing – Empty Vessels Signifying Something: An introduction to the common types of drinking vessels found on Romano-British sites 4-8 Kennett, D H Introducing – An Introduction to late Roman bronze vessels and their literature 9-13 Lucerna 5, February 1992
Snape, Margaret A Roman or Sub Roman Brooch 2-3 Clay, Patrick Lead seal rewrites history– Roman lead seal from Thorpe by Glebe 4-5 Lucerna 4, September 1991
Mackreth, Don Brooch stamps in third-century Britain 2-3 Appleton, Graham An introduction to the literature on Roman garden decoration with special reference to sculpture 4-8 Lucerna 3, January 1991
Jones, Christine Annum Novum Faustum Felicem Mihi!- Ceramic lamp celebrating the New Year 3-4 Davies, John A late Roman bronze punch from Hampshire 5-7 Dearne, Martin A Hebridean brooch 8 Bishop, Mike An introduction to the literature on Lorica Segmentata 9-12 Davies, John An introduction to the literature on Roman coins from British sites 13-16 Lucerna 2, Spring 1990
Evans, David Column base from the extra-mural settlement at Caerleon: Gwent 7-9 Jones, Christine An identification problem unhinged – bone hinges 10-12 Lloyd-Morgan, Glynnis An introduction to Roman mirrors and their literature 13-18 Lucerna 1, Autumn 1989
Bayley, Justine Castleford moulds – bronze flask(Request for parallels) 4 Clay, Patrick A Roman clasp knife from the Shires excavation, Leicester 5-6 Cool, Hilary An introduction to the literature on Romano-British brooches 8-12 Duncan, Holly Roman boxwood comb 13-15
See AWOL's full List of Open Access Journals in Ancient Studies