#MuseumMonday: Copper-alloy sword pommel
Its #MuseumMonday!
On , our curator Andy organised a research visit with Professor John Hines, Emeritus Professor at Cardiff University . Professor Hines is an expert in Early Medieval Runic inscriptions, and he was keen to see a copper-alloy sword pommel excavated by John Brent in the 19th century at the world-famous Sarre cemetery .
This pommel is believed to have a runic inscription on one face, but it has always been deemed illegible.
With the help of the excellent staff at Maidstone Museums , Professor Hines was able to examine the pommel in person under the KAS's microscope.
Stay tuned for more details in the coming weeks!
The results from Professor Hines' visit will be uploaded to the German Academies of Science Runische Schriftlichkeit (Runic Literacy) database project .
At the same time, Andy looked through the other sword pommels found at Sarre which have been confused in the catalogue records since the 19th century. Working with the collections team at Maidstone Museums , we hope to be able to add further context to the society's records.
