File:Medieval Papal Bulla (FindID 284970).jpg

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Medieval Papal Bulla
Photographer
Salisbury and South Wiltshire Museum, Katie Hinds, 2010-01-26 12:22:56
Title
Medieval Papal Bulla
Description
English: A Medieval lead Papal bulla of Pope Innocent IV, whose papacy lasted from 1243 to 1254 AD. It measures 37.79mm in diameter, 5.29mm in thickness, and weighs 41.5g. Damage on the obverse to the chord hole has apparently led to a hole being pierced through to the reverse (and perhaps reuse as a pendant?). There is patination on the inside surface of this. The chord hole at the other end is barely visible. More recent damage is visible mainly on the obverse.

The obverse depicts the faces of St Peter and St Paul below the inscription SPASPE (SPA = Sanctus Paulus, SPE = Sanctus Petrus), all of which are surrounded by a beaded border, flanking the outside edge of the bulla. St. Paul is seen on the left looking right, with a long pointed beard, and St. Peter is on the right facing left, with a rounded face and beard and hair formed from pellets. Each is within a C or backwards-C beaded border, joined to the main. The reverse bears the legend INNO/CENTIVS/.PP.IIII. , within a beaded border. There is an omega above the ‘PP’, which is an abbreviation of pastor pastorum - meaning shepherd of the shepherds.

Papal bullae were used as seals on official papal documents sent out from Rome (during the schism, Avignon) as a means of authentication. Tim Pestell has stated on other bulla records: "Papal bulls came as two basic types, according to the contents of the document: Tituli, or "Letters of Grace", essentially granted or confirmed rights, conferred benefices or promulgated statutes. They generally had their lead bullae attached with cords of silk. Mandamenta, or "Letters of Justice" were mandates that conveyed papal orders, prohibitions or injunctions, and had their bullae attached by hemp threads". They may have also had a secondary use as an amulet.
Depicted place (County of findspot) Wiltshire
Date between 1243 and 1254
date QS:P571,+1250-00-00T00:00:00Z/7,P1319,+1243-00-00T00:00:00Z/9,P1326,+1254-00-00T00:00:00Z/9
Accession number
FindID: 284970
Old ref: WILT-9B90B5
Filename: Wright0110bulla.jpg
Credit line
The Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS) is a voluntary programme run by the United Kingdom government to record the increasing numbers of small finds of archaeological interest found by members of the public. The scheme started in 1997 and now covers most of England and Wales. Finds are published at https://finds.org.uk
Source https://finds.org.uk/database/ajax/download/id/236346
Catalog: https://finds.org.uk/database/images/image/id/236346/recordtype/artefacts archive copy at the Wayback Machine
Artefact: https://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/record/id/284970
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This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.
Attribution: The Portable Antiquities Scheme/ The Trustees of the British Museum
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Date/TimeThumbnailDimensionsUserComment
current05:11, 29 January 2017Thumbnail for version as of 05:11, 29 January 20173,000 × 1,616 (1.24 MB) (talk | contribs)Portable Antiquities Scheme, WILT, FindID: 284970, medieval, page 923, batch count 16597

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