Promising finds

     I am learning that archaeology isn't an instantaneous process.  They can't just dig and say "oh, this is amazing."  They dig, sift the dirt through screens, and look to see what might be there other than dirt.  Shards of pottery, bits of metal, and any clearly man-made items are removed and placed in a bag marked with the digging site from which the items came.  When it is all over, the bags, photographs, and all the other records they maintain will be taken back and examined over time in the comfort of offices and laboratories.
      That said, it is hard not to feel excited about the discovery of the item in this photograph.  The archaeologists, who are remarkably good at identifying common objects at first glance, believe this is one part of a cuff link.  With the crown, it would have been for a dress up occasion.  Since I am not an archaeologist and don't have to be scientific about this, I'm sure Yarrow Mamout wore this when he was painted by Charles Willson Peale.  The archaeologists are a wee bit more cautious.  They say this could have come from Yarrow's time, but it also could have come from later in the nineteenth century.  That's why they take everything back to labs where they have reference books and things.