Tuesday, December 8, 2009

One, two, buckle my shoe!

This week Anne and I have continued to catalog artifacts from the four units opened in the Swann House area this fall. This means not only going through all the modern material from Unit 83, the unit within the Swann House foundation, but also washing and cataloging the artifacts that were found close to the surface while clearing off the foundation. This is quite an interesting assortment of artifacts, with Buckley-ware intermingled with modern glass bottles. One of the more unusual artifacts we found in this area was a shoe buckle made of a copper alloy.


We could tell this was a shoe buckle because of its size and the way it curves. Unfortunately, buckles are not exactly the easiest artifact to date, especially since this one has no ornamentation. Shoe buckles, particularly those of the wealthy, could be fashioned in silver, brass, and copper, and sometimes were ornately designed or encrusted in jewels. This one, however, likely belonged to someone a bit more on the "average Joe" side of wealth.

We will continue to update you with our interesting finds!

Kelley

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