Thats ALOT of Lead

Large Roman lead Ingot found.

https://archaeologynewsnetwork.blogspot.com/2016/05/roman-lead-ingot-found-by-detectorist.html

 

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That's a PIG OF LEAD! Pretty nice! Fun find...

 

It is interesting and seemingly capricious that lead objects are not included in the UK's Treasure Act. Hey @Ardatirion-- perhaps you should head to the UK with a metal detector!

 

Ye Gads !!! That's huge!!!

That's so super cool!!! Damn, I wish we had a chance to find things like that here

 

'A lot' is two words.

 

What a amazing find, can you image the thrill he felt when he discovered this artifact?

 

Someone mentioned on FB that it could be one "lost" some two hundred years ago, just mentioned in old written sources, but exactly like this one.

Great find whatever case it may be!

 

I work at Wells museum from time to time and there are lead pigs there. VespasIan ones I recall.
Lead was mined in the Mendip Hills close to Wells, so not unusual.
Nice roman road runs over the Mendips, I shall be detecting there this winter!!

 

here piggy piggy

 

That's a lot of lead. I could use a brick like that for casting .50 cal balls for my cap and ball black powder rifle.

 

Pretty sure a major reason Rome annexed Britian was because of it's rich tin and lead deposits.
Cool article Mat!

 

Ditto!

 

why do they call it a pig

 

I honestly would like to know too. Never heard of the term till I read it.

 

In maufacturing, a Pig is a large cast piece of raw material metal that is to be melted down. Pig of iron, etc.

Probly cuz they are fat, squat, and heavy...

 

The word pig originally in old English derived from what we would call today a furrow, ie. Trench like shape. Pigs probably got their name that way, from the furrows it makes with its snout.

However, when it comes to ingots, the name probably comes from the oblong-shape molds into which molten metal is run. Since pig derives from the old English word for furrow (trench-like shape) it is a case of the mold giving the ingot it's name. Ive also heard it said that a row of moulds fed by a common runner (molds were cast that way in the old days) also resembled a litter of suckling pigs.

 

From Wikipedia:
"Pig iron is the intermediate product of smelting iron ore. It is the molten iron from the blast furnace, which is a large and cylinder-shaped furnace charged with iron ore, coke, and limestone. Charcoal and anthracite have also been used as fuel. Pig iron has a very high carbon content, typically 3.5–4.5%,[1] along with silica and other constituents of dross, which makes it very brittle and not useful directly as a material except for limited applications.

The traditional shape of the molds used for pig iron ingots was a branching structure formed in sand, with many individual ingots at right angles[2] to a central channel or runner, resembling a litter of piglets being suckled by a sow. When the metal had cooled and hardened, the smaller ingots (the pigs) were simply broken from the runner (the sow), hence the name pig iron.[3] As pig iron is intended for remelting, the uneven size of the ingots and the inclusion of small amounts of sand caused only insignificant problems considering the ease of casting and handling them."

 

We melted scrap aluminum down into ingots called pigs. Pigs were an intermediate raw material inventory prior to being melted and molded into product. We did the same with iron. Melted down scrap iron, engine blocks, etc. into pigs. Later remelted and molded into product.

They were fat, squat, and heavy... And they were on runners (sprues) like suckling pigs, too.

I am used to making things...

 

They also made a historical inaccuracy, they said that the Romans invaded Britain 2500 years ago, the Romans didn't attempt invading Britain until 50 BC, under Julius Caesar, and they didn't actually conquer Britain until 43 AD under Claudius.
Which was under 2000 years ago.

 

The 'item of outstanding historical, archaeological or cultural importance' is the catch all caveat within the act for items not normally fitting the definition of treasure.
I wouldn't have thought so in this case but if my memory serves me it was an amendment added to stop the sale of such items as this;

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crosby_Garrett_Helmet

Wiki mentions the controversy regarding the application of the act in this case (prior to the amendment) but stories were on the grapevine that there may have been a bigger one!