Name This Artifact

[RobRich]

I would like to say that I am skilled enough to turn out this type an style of metal work, as I could make a fortune on the antique reproduction auction circuit.

Robert Richmond

[nomaxim]

Quote:

Originally posted by U-96


Maybe Rob's jerking our chain and just knocked it up in the workshop!

I was going to stay away from that !

[RobRich]

Quote:

In my professional opinion, this item and site are contaminated.

Understood, as that is the real problem with trying to determine any past for an item of this nature. It could have been produced 100 years ago or a 1000 years ago. Considering the aging incurred by direct ground contact in GA soil for even just a few scarce years one would likely never know.

I have an excellent story attached to the acquisition of the item, so it will likely be collecting dust at my home for many years to come as a conversation piece.

I am more or less just trying to figure out what it could have been used for, if anything.

Robert Richmond

[nomaxim]

"I was thinking Roman or Islamic North African rather than pre-Roman Carthage etc although the zoomorphic handle would probably rule the latter option out. Roman, Greek, eastern Med all still strong contenders."

Concur, the bull idea I had would have made it Persian/Babylonian.
But I do like the Celtic idea also.

"I am more or less just trying to figure out what it could have been used for, if anything."
Use it to pour wine or bubble bath! Your choice.

[RobRich]

[Knothead]

I've heard lots of rumors that the Vikings made it to the new world long before Columbus...there was a large stone, found in the '40's, that had norse-style writing on it buried in Indiana, of all places!

Perhaps this piece was acquired by these guys at some distant port, and carried over here...the owner died and they had a big creamation ceremony where they dumped all his stuff into the flames (this piece survived intact) and then they buried the whole mess.

I'm just making all this up, but that counts as an amusing guess, eh?

[MDS]

my guess would be a gravy boat or a hot water urn

[nomaxim]

I've heard that Columbus used a Viking map to find the 'new world.'

The vikings settled Iceland as early as 900 AD, Greenland by 1100 AD.
Viking records, what we have of them, talk about a place called 'Vineland', to the west of Greenland. (c:1100, 400 years before Columbus!) In fact we have found Viking type longhouse's in Canada. We cannot date them as of yet. We keep trying, but the vik, or Rus as they were known in the slavic tongue) settled much of what we know as the modern world.

Kiev, St. Peterburgs, Stalingard, where all once settlements of the Rus ( hence the name Russia )

Even the Saxons of Britian were invaded by the Normans. (Normans=Northmen) [Nomandy=Northman land]

As much as the Greeks and the Romans have to do with Western civilization, so to do the vikings.

[John Prophet]

was anything else found at the site?

have you had any "experts" look at it? Are there sites online for that kind of thing?

Looks like some kind of liquid holder/heater/pourer.

[nomaxim]

That site was in 'National Geographic' like 10 years ago.

Sorry, if you missed it.

EDIT: The Viking site.