I have an interesting artefact found in my mother-in-law's garden in Kibworth Beauchamp and am trying to find someone to help me with its identification. It is a stone disc (soapstone or similar) with two 'tag' type handles either side, each bored with a small hole. One side is smoothed the other roughly decorated. The whole thing is 9" long. One historian suggested that it looked medieval but didn't know what it was for. I have scoured archaeological libraries and asked friendly archaeologists to have a look at it but no -one has come close to an identification.

Michael Wood is talking next Wednesday night at Bristol Grammar School (my old school). You could try leaving a message for him with his host, the school librarian Lucy Shepherd. Tel 0117 9736006. Don't delay!

Is it oriental ? I think I am right when I say we only have Serpentine and a black coloured soapstone in UK. Photo ?
Chris.