Image: Bull (illustration). (FindID 65882)

Description: A lead papal bulla, from the Medieval period. Papal bullae are lead seals which were attached to documents known as bulls, issued by the Papacy. The obverse depicts the heads of St. Paul and St. Peter, with a sceptre between them. The two heads are each surrounded by a circle of pellets. The legend above the two heads reads SPASP[E] the E has been scuffed away by later damage. The ploughshare probably caused this damage. The reverse depicts the name and number of the Pope. The legend reads CLE/ MENS/ :PP:V (written on three lines). This name refers to Clement V (1305-1314). The papal bulla is roughly circular in shape measuring 34.2mm x 37.2mm. The edges of the papal bulla have been damaged, although unlike the scuff mark this damage looks well worn. The lead has gone a mid whitish-cream.
Title: Bull (illustration).
Credit: https://finds.org.uk/database/ajax/download/id/25370 Catalog: https://finds.org.uk/database/images/image/id/25370/recordtype/artefacts archive copy Artefact: https://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/record/id/65882
Author: Sussex Archaeological Society, Liz Wilson, 2004-05-14 15:21:42
Permission: Attribution-ShareAlike License
Usage Terms: Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0
License: CC BY-SA 2.0
License Link: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0
Attribution Required?: Yes