Essex discovery reveals 'Richard's secret' seal housing a 2,000-year-old Roman gem
An 800-year-old silver medieval seal found in Gosfield, Essex, features a 2,000-year-old Roman carnelian gemstone at its center and bears a mirror-image inscription reading 'SECRETUM.RICARDI' ('Richard's secret'). The gem, dating to the late first century BCE/early first century CE, depicts a two-horse chariot and is much older than the seal itself, suggesting the owner valued classical artifacts as a status symbol. The Gosfield seal is being considered under the UK Treasure Act 1996, with Braintree Museum hoping to acquire it after a treasure inquest.
