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Books by Anni Byard

50 Finds from Berkshire, 2019

50 of the most interesting archaeological artefacts from Berkshire found by members of the public... more 50 of the most interesting archaeological artefacts from Berkshire found by members of the public and recorded with the PAS

Metalwork, 2018

Comprehensive overview of life in and around Roman Berkshire

50 Finds from Oxfordshire, 2017

Author's choice of 50 of over 30,000 Oxfordshire finds discovered by the public and recorded with... more Author's choice of 50 of over 30,000 Oxfordshire finds discovered by the public and recorded with the Portable Antiquities Scheme

Papers by Anni Byard

The Antiquaries Journal, 2015

In 2009, a metal-detector find of a rare garnet-inlaid composite disc brooch at West Hanney, Oxfo... more In 2009, a metal-detector find of a rare garnet-inlaid composite disc brooch at West Hanney, Oxfordshire, led to the excavation of an apparently isolated female burial sited in a prominent position overlooking the Ock valley. The burial dates to the middle decades of the seventh century, a period of rapid socio-political development in the region, which formed the early heartland of the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Wessex. The de luxe brooch links the wearer to two other burials furnished with very similar brooches at Milton, some 10km to the east and only c 1km from the Anglo-Saxon great hall complex at Sutton Courtenay / Drayton, just south of Abingdon. All three women must have been members of the region’s politically dominant group, known as the Gewisse. The burial’s grave goods and setting add a new dimension to our understanding of the richly furnished female burials that are such a prominent feature of the funerary record of seventh-century England.

The Searcher, 2021

Metal detecting rallies are controversial activities. Archaeologists are generally opposed to lar... more Metal detecting rallies are controversial activities. Archaeologists are generally opposed to large scale events, but criticism also comes from with the detecting community. In this short article for metal detecting magazine The Searcher, Anni discusses the pros and cons of these large events and the detrimental effect on Oxfordshire's local history when finds are not recorded. (Proof pdf - minor changes occured in the published article).

Unpublished MSc dissertation submitted 2013. Metal detecting recovers thousands of artefacts eac... more Unpublished MSc dissertation submitted 2013.
Metal detecting recovers thousands of artefacts each year and many of these are recorded on public databases, creating a huge body of data and shedding new light on the human use of and interaction with past landscapes. The Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS) was set up in 1997 to record archaeological artefacts found by members of the public. Even though participation in the PAS is voluntary, the online database currently holds over 573,500 records of c.900, 000 objects with nearly 23,000 registered users (as of September 2013). This paper looks at the archaeological potential of over 1,100 artefacts and coins recorded at two metal detecting rallies.

Metal detecting, especially when conducted systematically and the results recorded accurately, has the potential to highlight and define archaeological episodes just as informatively as traditional surface collection techniques. Macnab (2005) highlights how valuable a resource metal detecting data can be. This is not a study about artefacts; rather it is a study in the use of artefact ploughzone data (in this case metal detected finds) to distinguish and identify areas of human activity. The collection of surface artefacts (pottery, lithics) is commonly used to indicate areas of varied levels of human interaction with the landscape (habitation sites, field systems and agricultural manuring etc.) and metal detecting is sometimes used in conjunction with these techniques, albeit in a limited manner. Metal detecting is neither a technique routinely employed nor does it as yet appear to be considered a viable indicator of the wider archaeological landscape as pottery concentrations and lithic scatters are; this may be more due to a lack of a coherent body of data to work with rather than an intentional snub. Of course there are circumstances when metal detecting cannot be employed for a variety of reasons (statutory protection of land or looking for pre-metal sites for example); while on occasion metal detecting will uncover the archaeology beneath the ploughsoil (finding a grave or hoard etc.).

This paper will look at the potential of metal detecting data as ploughzone archaeology and will consider if metal detecting is a reliable indicator of the archaeological potential of, and the nature of, the archaeological landscape. Can metal detecting data be used in a manner akin to other surface survey techniques such as fieldwalking? Using cropmark evidence along with limited fieldwalking, the metal detecting data will be analysed and the finds’ distribution plotted then compared to the results of the fieldwalking to answer the above.

Because of the amount of data gathered and analysed the dissertation is approached through a series of distribution maps for each period, separating artefacts and coins. It is far beyond the scope and word limit of this study to identify each find, however the fieldwalking and metal detecting data is included as a CD [omitted] and the raw metalwork data is available through the PAS database (see Appendix 1 – omitted herein).

Oxoniensia, Oct 2018

A round-up of finds found in Oxfordshire and recorded with the PAS in 2017

In 2009, a metal-detector find of a rare garnet-inlaid composite disc brooch at West Hanney, Oxfo... more In 2009, a metal-detector find of a rare garnet-inlaid composite disc brooch at West Hanney, Oxfordshire, led to the excavation of an apparently isolated female burial sited in a prominent position overlooking the Ock valley. The burial dates to the middle decades of the seventh century, a period of rapid socio-political development in the region, which formed the early heartland of the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Wessex. The de luxe brooch links the wearer to two other burials furnished with very similar brooches at Milton, some 10km to the east and only c 1km from the Anglo-Saxon great hall complex at Sutton Courtenay / Drayton, just south of Abingdon. All three women must have been members of the region’s politically dominant group, known as the Gewisse. The burial’s grave goods and setting add a new dimension to our understanding of the richly furnished female burials that are such a prominent feature of the funerary record of seventh-century England.

Within the Portable Antiquities Scheme report in Medieval Archaeology 55, 2011. N. Christie, J. N... more Within the Portable Antiquities Scheme report in Medieval Archaeology 55, 2011. N. Christie, J. Naylor and H. Geake (eds). p294-296. Preliminary notes on the rescue excavation of a high status female burial after the discovery of a 7th century garnet inlaid Kentish composite disc brooch, only the 20th known and the third from Oxfordshire.

Portable Antiquities Scheme reports by Anni Byard

Oxoniensia, 2012

Portable Antiquities Scheme in Oxfordshire, 2011 Oxoniensia Vol LXXVII (2012) p297-299

South Midlands Archaeology, 2018

Round-up of finds recorded with the PAS in 2017 from Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire a... more Round-up of finds recorded with the PAS in 2017 from Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Northamptonshire.

South Midlands Archaeology, 2019

Round-up of finds recorded with PAS in 2018 from Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and N... more Round-up of finds recorded with PAS in 2018 from Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Northamptonshire.

South Midlands Archaeology, 2017

Round-up of finds recorded with PAS in 2016 from Buckinghamshire, Bedfordshire, Oxfordshire and N... more Round-up of finds recorded with PAS in 2016 from Buckinghamshire, Bedfordshire, Oxfordshire and Northamptonshire

South Midlands Archaeology, 2016

Round-up of finds recorded with PAS in 2015 from Buckinghamshire, Bedfordshire, Oxfordshire and N... more Round-up of finds recorded with PAS in 2015 from Buckinghamshire, Bedfordshire, Oxfordshire and Northamptonshire.

Oxoniensia Vol LXXVI (2010) p264-5

Highlighting finds from Oxfordshire

Oxoniensia, 2013

A round-up of the county's best finds recorded with the PAS in 2013

50 Finds from Berkshire, 2019

50 of the most interesting archaeological artefacts from Berkshire found by members of the public... more 50 of the most interesting archaeological artefacts from Berkshire found by members of the public and recorded with the PAS

Metalwork, 2018

Comprehensive overview of life in and around Roman Berkshire

50 Finds from Oxfordshire, 2017

Author's choice of 50 of over 30,000 Oxfordshire finds discovered by the public and recorded with... more Author's choice of 50 of over 30,000 Oxfordshire finds discovered by the public and recorded with the Portable Antiquities Scheme

The Antiquaries Journal, 2015

In 2009, a metal-detector find of a rare garnet-inlaid composite disc brooch at West Hanney, Oxfo... more In 2009, a metal-detector find of a rare garnet-inlaid composite disc brooch at West Hanney, Oxfordshire, led to the excavation of an apparently isolated female burial sited in a prominent position overlooking the Ock valley. The burial dates to the middle decades of the seventh century, a period of rapid socio-political development in the region, which formed the early heartland of the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Wessex. The de luxe brooch links the wearer to two other burials furnished with very similar brooches at Milton, some 10km to the east and only c 1km from the Anglo-Saxon great hall complex at Sutton Courtenay / Drayton, just south of Abingdon. All three women must have been members of the region’s politically dominant group, known as the Gewisse. The burial’s grave goods and setting add a new dimension to our understanding of the richly furnished female burials that are such a prominent feature of the funerary record of seventh-century England.

The Searcher, 2021

Metal detecting rallies are controversial activities. Archaeologists are generally opposed to lar... more Metal detecting rallies are controversial activities. Archaeologists are generally opposed to large scale events, but criticism also comes from with the detecting community. In this short article for metal detecting magazine The Searcher, Anni discusses the pros and cons of these large events and the detrimental effect on Oxfordshire's local history when finds are not recorded. (Proof pdf - minor changes occured in the published article).

Unpublished MSc dissertation submitted 2013. Metal detecting recovers thousands of artefacts eac... more Unpublished MSc dissertation submitted 2013.
Metal detecting recovers thousands of artefacts each year and many of these are recorded on public databases, creating a huge body of data and shedding new light on the human use of and interaction with past landscapes. The Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS) was set up in 1997 to record archaeological artefacts found by members of the public. Even though participation in the PAS is voluntary, the online database currently holds over 573,500 records of c.900, 000 objects with nearly 23,000 registered users (as of September 2013). This paper looks at the archaeological potential of over 1,100 artefacts and coins recorded at two metal detecting rallies.

Metal detecting, especially when conducted systematically and the results recorded accurately, has the potential to highlight and define archaeological episodes just as informatively as traditional surface collection techniques. Macnab (2005) highlights how valuable a resource metal detecting data can be. This is not a study about artefacts; rather it is a study in the use of artefact ploughzone data (in this case metal detected finds) to distinguish and identify areas of human activity. The collection of surface artefacts (pottery, lithics) is commonly used to indicate areas of varied levels of human interaction with the landscape (habitation sites, field systems and agricultural manuring etc.) and metal detecting is sometimes used in conjunction with these techniques, albeit in a limited manner. Metal detecting is neither a technique routinely employed nor does it as yet appear to be considered a viable indicator of the wider archaeological landscape as pottery concentrations and lithic scatters are; this may be more due to a lack of a coherent body of data to work with rather than an intentional snub. Of course there are circumstances when metal detecting cannot be employed for a variety of reasons (statutory protection of land or looking for pre-metal sites for example); while on occasion metal detecting will uncover the archaeology beneath the ploughsoil (finding a grave or hoard etc.).

This paper will look at the potential of metal detecting data as ploughzone archaeology and will consider if metal detecting is a reliable indicator of the archaeological potential of, and the nature of, the archaeological landscape. Can metal detecting data be used in a manner akin to other surface survey techniques such as fieldwalking? Using cropmark evidence along with limited fieldwalking, the metal detecting data will be analysed and the finds’ distribution plotted then compared to the results of the fieldwalking to answer the above.

Because of the amount of data gathered and analysed the dissertation is approached through a series of distribution maps for each period, separating artefacts and coins. It is far beyond the scope and word limit of this study to identify each find, however the fieldwalking and metal detecting data is included as a CD [omitted] and the raw metalwork data is available through the PAS database (see Appendix 1 – omitted herein).

Oxoniensia, Oct 2018

A round-up of finds found in Oxfordshire and recorded with the PAS in 2017

In 2009, a metal-detector find of a rare garnet-inlaid composite disc brooch at West Hanney, Oxfo... more In 2009, a metal-detector find of a rare garnet-inlaid composite disc brooch at West Hanney, Oxfordshire, led to the excavation of an apparently isolated female burial sited in a prominent position overlooking the Ock valley. The burial dates to the middle decades of the seventh century, a period of rapid socio-political development in the region, which formed the early heartland of the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Wessex. The de luxe brooch links the wearer to two other burials furnished with very similar brooches at Milton, some 10km to the east and only c 1km from the Anglo-Saxon great hall complex at Sutton Courtenay / Drayton, just south of Abingdon. All three women must have been members of the region’s politically dominant group, known as the Gewisse. The burial’s grave goods and setting add a new dimension to our understanding of the richly furnished female burials that are such a prominent feature of the funerary record of seventh-century England.

Within the Portable Antiquities Scheme report in Medieval Archaeology 55, 2011. N. Christie, J. N... more Within the Portable Antiquities Scheme report in Medieval Archaeology 55, 2011. N. Christie, J. Naylor and H. Geake (eds). p294-296. Preliminary notes on the rescue excavation of a high status female burial after the discovery of a 7th century garnet inlaid Kentish composite disc brooch, only the 20th known and the third from Oxfordshire.

Oxoniensia, 2012

Portable Antiquities Scheme in Oxfordshire, 2011 Oxoniensia Vol LXXVII (2012) p297-299

South Midlands Archaeology, 2018

Round-up of finds recorded with the PAS in 2017 from Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire a... more Round-up of finds recorded with the PAS in 2017 from Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Northamptonshire.

South Midlands Archaeology, 2019

Round-up of finds recorded with PAS in 2018 from Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and N... more Round-up of finds recorded with PAS in 2018 from Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Northamptonshire.

South Midlands Archaeology, 2017

Round-up of finds recorded with PAS in 2016 from Buckinghamshire, Bedfordshire, Oxfordshire and N... more Round-up of finds recorded with PAS in 2016 from Buckinghamshire, Bedfordshire, Oxfordshire and Northamptonshire

South Midlands Archaeology, 2016

Round-up of finds recorded with PAS in 2015 from Buckinghamshire, Bedfordshire, Oxfordshire and N... more Round-up of finds recorded with PAS in 2015 from Buckinghamshire, Bedfordshire, Oxfordshire and Northamptonshire.

Oxoniensia Vol LXXVI (2010) p264-5

Highlighting finds from Oxfordshire

Oxoniensia, 2013

A round-up of the county's best finds recorded with the PAS in 2013

Published in Medieval Archaeology 60:2 (2016), p.349-67. This article provides a summary of find... more Published in Medieval Archaeology 60:2 (2016), p.349-67.

This article provides a summary of finds reported to the Portable Antiquities Scheme in England and Wales during 2015 and two research notes. The full contents are:
1. Focus on Coinage in 2015 (J Naylor): p. 350-6
2. Focus on Non-Numismatic Finds in 2015 (J Naylor, M Lewis and A Byard): p.356-60
Research reports:
3. Two coin pendants from an Anglo-Saxon burial near Diss, Norfolk (J Naylor): p. 360-2
4. Exploring the commercial landscape of Medieval Saltfleetby and Skidbrooke (Lincolnshire) through PAS data (E Oksanen annd M Lewis): p. 362-5.

Ploughzone or ploughsoil archaeology is not a new concept in the discipline however traditionally... more Ploughzone or ploughsoil archaeology is not a new concept in the discipline however traditionally it has concentrated on fieldwalking for its main source of information. The large body of data created by metal detector users and recorded with the Portable Antiquities Scheme provides the opportunity to address the concept of ploughzone archaeology through non-surface yet out-of-context artefact type and distribution analysis. Two large metal detecting rallies in the Vale of the White Horse district, Oxfordshire UK, afforded the opportunity to evaluate the development of a small study area by plotting the distribution of finds chronologically, using a landscape-based approach but on a localised scale. The study highlighted the potential of such data by taking a broad-brush approach to artefact distribution through all metal-producing periods, focussing on the Roman period more than others. When collected systematically and recorded accurately, metal detecting data can highlight varying levels of activity in a landscape. In this study artefact concentrations have revealed new areas of archaeological interest while artefact dispersal appears indicative of farming strategies.
Poster presented at LAC2014 in Rome.

Hoarding and deposition in Europe from later prehistory to the medieval period – finds in context... more Hoarding and deposition in Europe from later prehistory to the medieval period – finds in context. King's College, London 12-14 June 2019. The Roman Finds Group, Later Prehistoric Finds Group and Finds Research Group in collaboration with King’s College London and Instrumentum International Meetings