English: Medieval lead Papal bulla of Benedict XI (1303-1304), in near-mint condition. The lettering is sharp and has generally not seen any flaking away of the surface patina, although this has happened.

The obverse reads BENE/DICTVS/PP:XI while the reverse has the usual depiction of SS Peter and Paul in pelleted aureoles.

The two cord holes are quite distinct and appear to indicate hemp threads which means the bull was a Letter of Justice.

The reverse has been sealed at 356° to the obverse. The bulla appears to have been lightly lacquered.

The chief interest of this bulla and bulla WILT-E29224 lies in their having been found only a metre apart close to a monastic site. Their condition shows that they have suffered very little post-depositional movement or taphonomic stress, while their proximity to one another suggests that they probably derive from the same context. This must presumably be related to the loss or clearing of a monastic archive. However, the bulla of Benedict XI is also of importance because this pope’s reign was to last only a year.

The appearance of two bullae in such good condition, of successive popes, allows a consideration of the dies used to produce the seal. The reverses are clearly from the same die, but it is instructive to note how even light corrosion or flaking of the surface can create the impression of differences. Sufficient tiny flaws are visible to show they are identical: 1. The S of SPE has a faint line running up to the right from the upper terminal of the S, just running up to a pellet running around the outside of the flan. 2. The A of SPA has a very faint line running vertically up from the apex of the A. 3. Towards the bottom of St Paul’s beard (LHS figure) a faint line breaks the outer line.

4. The second and third pellets up from the bottom of the aureole surrounding St Paul (those running on the inside of the bulla, not around the flan edge) have two faint lines dropping down from them.