What does it take to feel private in an envelope-free, password-free, lock-free inbox age?
An executive engineering, though rather than symbolism, answers that question, a small object which was discovered in a field at Gosfield, Essex. In 2024, an oval silver seal was found by a metal detectorist and documented by the Portable Antiquities Scheme team of Essex. It is a physically small work of approximately 27.5mm in length and weighing 6.44g. however it has an unexpectedly complicated history: with a warmer heart of Roman engraved gemstone at its centre, the piece was set in silver in the Middle Ages.
Lori Rogerson, a liaison officer at the finds, told the BBC that the object was “really special,” in itself that it was rare to find objects made of elements of two different periods. The emblem on the seal has inverted lettering that can only be read properly after being pressed into the wax. Around the bezel is written “+SECRETVM . RICARDI,” an expression which may be translated as the secret of Richard, but would be better conceived as a sign of some personal implement: the secret seal of Richard. The text is accompanied by a small cross patttee which is a small mark of Christian identity but ensures that the owner identifies the seal at a glance and positions it to be used.
The best feature is still older; a rich carnelian carving in deep red, to which has been added a scene of a chariot with two horses. When magnified, the motif breaks down into a racing “biga,” or two horses dragging a light cart with a man riding behind, controlling reins and a whip, the image of which in the Roman world symbolized the entertainment of the masses. Experts date the gemstone to the late 1 st century BC or early 1 st century AD, over a millennium earlier than the medieval mount which reused the stone.
The object is, technically, a work of constraints and resourcefulness. The seals have to live through touching, leave a sharp impression and not rotate when pressing into thewax. The medieval silversmith had these issues resolved by using a tight bezel which keeps the edges of the gemstone safe, and utilizing the mirror-text of the engraved surface so that the finished impression is legible. It is also probable that it was not worn as a ring and was suspended by a loop at one end of the seal. The latter is important: a pendant seal is simpler to carry on the person, more difficult to lose on a trip, and it can be made faster when the letter had to be closed and signed.
Seals of the type such as this were commonly in use in medieval practice in the form of privy or counter-seals, though not the big seals that were employed in administrative transactions. The reimbursement of Roman intaglios is suitable. The quality and age of Roman gems differed, and gems that were old and cut well were valued; to wear one in a medieval seal meant admission, sophistication, and contacts with which to get antiquities. Rogerson informed the BBC that she believed the owner might have selected the classical scene to display her information about the ancient world and capability to acquire something uncommon.
The Gosfield seal has transferred to the formal “Treasure” Act process pathway of treasure. Other local museums have shown interest with Braintree service viewed as a probable host in case of acquisition. Whether the object is on display or not, what really made it successful is the design, which is overlayed: a Roman image transformed into a medieval privacy tool, into a wearable tool of trust.
