Cosmetic Article

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Part of a hoard of objects found at Weekley Hall
Woods Believed to be the property of one person
Cosmetic Article 1951.221.3
Tweezers 1951.336.3
Pin 1951.251c
Key Handle 1951.377
Brooch 1951.363
Arm ring 1951.234
Coin TSA6
Coin TSA13
Statue 1951.378
Oyster shell 1966.21.5
Bow brooch 1951.265
Ligula cosmetic spoon 1951.250.2
Comb LSM16
Spoon 1951.254a
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Time Detectives
.
Mystery Hoard found at Weekley Hall Woods!
In 1951, archaeologists found a buried hoard of
ancient goods at Weekley Hall Woods near
Kettering. After carefully excavating the
objects, they cleaned them, gave each an
identification number, and put them in the Manor
House Museum in Kettering. All these objects have
been photographed and can now be seen on the
Roots database (www.ketteringroots.co.uk). Some
of these objects were found close together, and
it is thought that many of them may have belonged
to one person. Archaeologists have to ask
questions like Who was this
person? When did they live?
What were they like? What did
they do? What interested them? How
can they build up a picture of someone from so
long ago? Can YOU help? To try
and solve this mystery you have to work like a
detective. 1. You have to look at the clues 2.
You have to find out as much as you can about
them 3. You have to look up what we already know
about the period 4. You have to consider which
clues are useful to your investigation 5. You
have to see how the different clues fit
together 6. You have to use them to try and
solve the mystery Lets do this in stages. 1.
Looking at the clues Look at the sheet called
Mystery Hoard, and study the pictures
carefully. Each picture has a title and an
identification number. Some have little rulers so
that you can see how big the object is. Can you
say anything about the mystery person yet?
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2. Finding out about the clues You can probably
only make vague guesses, so you need to do some
further research. The easiest way to start this
off is to - log on to the Roots database
(www.ketteringroots.co.uk), - click on Continue
into Roots (near the feet!). - click on
Researchers Search. - scroll down on the
Search box and click on Object number (and
press Select). - scroll down until you find
the number of the object you want, click on it
and press Select.
.
- Click on the picture and a larger picture will
come up, together with some details. You need to
study both as they may have valuable information
about the mystery person. Record anything useful
on the Important Details sheet.
3. Further research The database will give you
some information, but perhaps not as much as you
want. However, you should now have a clearer idea
of when this person was alive, so you could look
in books, or on the internet, to find out more
about how people lived at this time, and what
they did, what they wore, etc. Compare this with
the information you have found, and you should
start to get a fuller picture of what this
mystery person might have been like. Fill in the
table with your findings
Book title/ What it told
me about people at the time Web address
4. Usefulness of objects Some of the objects
might be confusing, as they might come from a
different time than the others. They might not
all have belonged to the same person. This is a
typical problem that historians and
archaeologists face. You may want to put aside
any object that doesnt seem to fit, but you must
have a good reason for doing so. Fill in the
table below
Object
Reasons for not using it
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Item
Important Details
Cosmetic Article 1951.221.3
Pin 1951.251c
Arm ring 1951.234
Comb LSM16
Brooch 1951.363
Tweezers 1951.336.3
Oyster shell 1966.21.5
Coin TSA6
Key Handle 1951.377
Ligula cosmetic spoon 1951.250.2
Coin TSA13
Spoon 1951.254a
Statue 1951.378
Bow brooch 1951.265
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5. Fitting the clues together Often it helps to
group the objects together. Some might be to do
with food, others with jobs, or war. Try making
groups out of your objects.
.
Group 1 Group 2
Group 3 Group
4 Name Objects
6. Solving the mystery So what can we say now
about this mystery person? Try filling in the
table below with your ideas
Question What
I think Why I think this
(evidence) When they lived? Male/female? Child/
adult? Job? Rich/poor? How they dressed? What
they ate? Interests? Anything else? Dont
worry if you cant answer all of these. At least
you should now have a better idea about this
person, and have partly solved the mystery
of Who owned the hoard Well done
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• Mystery Hoard Teachers notes
• This is an exercise aimed at Year 5 and above and
  can be linked to a study of the Romans.
• It uses the Kettering Museums Roots database
  www.ketteringroots.co.uk
• The resources comprise
• A Time Detectives activity pack (3 sheets)
• An Important Details sheet
• A picture sheet of the objects
• You will also need
• Internet-linked computers (10)
• Books/information sheets on Roman social life
• Aim
• To show children how archaeologists and
  historians build up a theory by using object
  remains and secondary evidence.
• It combines the historical skills of
• Knowledge and understanding
• Interpretation
• Enquiry

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• - Teacher explains how to access the elements of
  the program by going through instructions on
  sheet. Bring up one of the items and then discuss
  with class what information needs to be recorded.
• Pupils record information on sheet
• 3. Further research (30 mins 1 hour)
• - Teacher discusses with pupils what we know so
  far about the person (use introductory questions
  on sheet 1, so that children have to think and
  make deductions about what they have found from
  the computer).
• - Teacher asks How are we going to find out
  more?
• - Oral answers
• - Teacher suggests looking in books and on web
  and explains how to fill in table.
• - Groups then do research.
• Feedback
• If required, each group could be split into 2
  parts, one doing section 2, the other doing
  section 3, working concurrently. This would help
  if time, or resources, is short.
• 4. Usefulness (10 mins)
• This could be done as a teacher-led activity,
  with the class filling in the table together. The
  point is that they learn to select relevant
  objects/information, and to discard irrelevant
  ones. (Only the items with the 1951 prefix belong
  together).
• 5. Fitting the clues together (10-15 mins)
• - Teacher can lead by asking children to suggest
  groups.
• - Groups can then discuss what object groups they
  want, and which objects should go in them.