Three years to identify a Roman nail? Yeah, really.

Found a corroded lump of iron in a field outside York back in 2019. Took it to a local archaeology group and everyone thought it was a farming tool or maybe a door hinge. Sent photos to a museum contact, they said it might be a Roman nail but couldn't confirm without X-ray. Sent it off for analysis, got results back in 2022. Turned out it was a roofing nail from a military building, probably 2nd century. Three years for a nail. Has anyone else had a simple artifact take forever to properly identify?

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sullivan.piper29d ago

Have you ever waited three years for a package that ended up being a nail? Because that's basically what happened here. I mean, I get that science takes time, but did they have to send it through the mail on a slow boat from Rome or something? At least you got a cool story out of it, even if the nail itself is just... a nail. I had a similar thing with a coin once, took two years just to tell me it was a common Victorian penny, so I feel your pain on the waiting game.