Evaluating transformations in small metal finds following the Black Death

Abstract

• This paper seeks to evaluate transformations in portable material culture following the Black Death in England (1348–1349), specifically through an analysis of small metal finds data recorded with the Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS). It will discuss the use of Geographic Information Systems and other computational methods in archaeological research, and apply this to compare and contrast PAS data against that from excavated urban sites. The importance of PAS data will then be highlighted as a chronological and spatially wide-ranging resource for understanding socio-economic change in portable material culture throughout the Middle Ages, focussing on the significant period of demographic change in the 14th century. It is suggested that an improvement in living standards is reflected in the variety of portable objects that have been recovered, and case studies of certain artefact types, with specific emphasis on dress accessories, will be used to demonstrate this.