A silver badge which is described as the medieval equivalent of today’s popular meme phenomenon is one of the thousand or so antiquities that has been discovered by metal-detectorists in the UK over the last 12 months of lockdown loot hunting.
The silver gilt piece of ornate and bemusing artistry was found in a field near Pontifract, West Yorkshire, England, the British Museum announced. The Guardian reports that Beverly Nenk, a curator at the Museum described it as, “such a funny little thing” noting its rareness, exclaiming, “I haven’t seen anything like it.”
Snail Man Badge
The “snail man” badge or brooch, is a smidge over 2cm long (a few hairs short of an inch) and is dated to between 1200 to 1350 AD. It shows a man, or more specifically, what looks to be a praying knight, emerging somehow from a snail shell. Oh, and the snail is atop a goat. If it sounds a bit odd, that’s because it is. Medieval badges were usually far more obvious representations of people, places or events.