Dr Tess Machling

Looking at torcs: The B52, first steps. When we look at torcs, the first stage of analysis usually involves photos. We have a lot of photos: my Kindle Fire currently contains about 6000 of them, cribbed from websites and online catalogue…

A bit more about it here, from a few years ago. I will be writing up what I found out yesterday, but in the meantime:

bigbookoftorcs.com/2020/03/08/l...

It's a gold ternary alloy - a mix of gold, silver and copper. With what I think is some gilding on the terminals, although that's not confirmed - it could be a surface enrichment that's broken down during burial/over time.

The Snettisham H7 torc a wire rope neck ring torc with decorated cushion terminals

One of the torc terminals with dummy rivets decoration.

So yesterday I went on an adventure to see a torc!

A torc I've been wanting to see for some time, which I'm pretty sure is the sibling of Newark and Netherurd, made/finished by the same hand...

Say hello to The B52 (AKA Snettisham torc H7)! ❤️

#Archaeology 🏺

I will... just not today! 😊

I'll have a think...

Errrrr... OK...

(she said, remembering the sheer cold panic of making a chocohedron!! 😂)

Faceted black and white diamonds onion the wall on the Elizabeth Line in London.

Diamonds...

You too! 😊

Exactly. 😔

Tweet from the Dubai Police: Dubai Police شرطة دبي @Dubai PoliceHQ Follow Sharing rumors, false information, or any content that contradicts official announcements or that may cause public panic or threaten public safety, order, or health is prohibited. Violators may face criminal penalties, including imprisonment and fines of no less than AED 200,000. المعلومة مسؤولية .... ونشر الشائعة جريمة Think before you share. Spreading rumors is a crime Penalty of no less than 200,000 غرامة لا تقل عن حبس لا يقل عن سنتين Imprisonment for no less than two years FINE

Interesting how those arriving back in the UK are saying how scary it all was, what they saw etc.

Meanwhile, actually in Dubai...

(P.S. There's also a lot of folks claiming influencers are being paid to say all is well...)

A white chocolate comb with animal head ends

A replica of a Viking antler comb about 7 inches long with a black criss cross design and animal head ends

As I'm off on an adventure, I'll leave you with this.

My white #chocolate and edible paint copy of a #Viking antler comb from, I think, ?London somewhere.

#Archaeology 🏺

I rarely go on adventures nowadays, but I'm off on a small one tomorrow and it's very exciting to little ole hermit me! 😂

Trump, live, just now.

'In my opinion, they were going to attack...'

We're in this sh1t thanks to Trump's 'opinion'.

It had been snowing, but they didn't want snow so they brought in these huge snow blowers and gritters to get rid of it all... really was fascinating to witness. Went in for 4 days in all.

And all for a few photos and a 2 minute film...

Very much so. Great time!

It was hilarious - we got notice to move the cars in the road, but no detail, then this huge film crew arrived, then he was spotted & word got round - I had to kick a paparazzo from my front garden, & there were screaming young girls running up & down the road being chased by security guards!!

I lived in Camden in the late 80s... used to see all manner of stuff, so I can totally relate!! 😂

😂😂😂

Harry Styles dressed in a gucci dressing gown with a live chicken sat on the chip shop counter in front of him...

My house is top right in this photo...

(It was a photo shoot for Gucci!!)

Very much alive...

A post of mine from 2018, that will never not make me chuckle:

"Ok. Now here is a phrase I never expected to utter!

Harry Styles is in the chippy at the end of my road and he's dressed in a Gucci dressing gown and is carrying a chicken!!! 😂"

Absolutely.

Israel escalates attacks and prepares for ground invasion of Lebanon Israel's latest attacks on Lebanon are part of a months-long series of Zionist incursions that break ceasefire agreements

Guess Trump isn't only a 'useful idiot' for the Russians...

www.thecanary.co/global/world...

The Cyprus bases were forced upon them, so that's a whole other story.

I still wish we hadn't let them use UK bases though - if we're going to get crap from Trump we might as well have stood our ground there too...

Oh nice. Jeroen is hugely clever! And yes, it is very Art Deco.

😂😂😂

Pretty! ❤️

The newly cast dirk in a water cooling bath

The Dirk being removed from its sand mould

James with the first go at the Oxborough Dirk

No, crosswise. It's a kind of bubbly irregular wide line - they seem to have poured upright from "handle" end with 2 consecutive pours of bronze.

We had a go at casting it with James @ancientcraftuk.bsky.social but with one pour as we had bigger crucible, and for first go, it worked pretty well.

5 dirks of similar type on display at the British museum.

It really is huge... and so difficult to make when a single crucible couldn't deal with that amount of metal.

I got really interested in the Plougrescant-Ommerschans dirks and it was fab to see 5 of the 6 together at the BM World of Stonehenge Exhibition.