English: A lead papal bulla, from the Medieval period. Papal bullae are lead seals which were attached to documents known as bulls, issued by the Papacy. The obverse depicts the heads of St. Paul and St. Peter, with a sceptre between them. The two heads are each surrounded by a circle of pellets. The legend above the two heads reads SPASP[E] the E has been scuffed away by later damage. The ploughshare probably caused this damage. The reverse depicts the name and number of the Pope. The legend reads CLE/ MENS/ :PP:V (written on three lines). This name refers to Clement V (1305-1314). The papal bulla is roughly circular in shape measuring 34.2mm x 37.2mm. The edges of the papal bulla have been damaged, although unlike the scuff mark this damage looks well worn. The lead has gone a mid whitish-cream.
Depicted place
(County of findspot) East Sussex
Date
between 1305 and 1314
date QS:P571,+1350-00-00T00:00:00Z/7,P1319,+1305-00-00T00:00:00Z/9,P1326,+1314-00-00T00:00:00Z/9
Accession number
FindID: 65882 Old ref: SUSS-77BCA7 Filename: Bull (illustration).jpg
Credit line
The Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS) is a voluntary programme run by the United Kingdom government to record the increasing numbers of small finds of archaeological interest found by members of the public. The scheme started in 1997 and now covers most of England and Wales. Finds are published at https://finds.org.uk
Attribution: The Portable Antiquities Scheme/ The Trustees of the British Museum
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