Ancient iron cauldron recovered from the River Wear

[Imperial Dave]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cry4xkw10z84o

Watch out for the scrap man...

[stevenneate]

It's either a beer vat or a WW2 sea mine.

[Nick Harbud]

One wonders how it got there.  I mean, it's a bit large for use as a missile in some medieval domestic dispute... 

[Keraunos]

One wonders how it got there.  I mean, it's a bit large for use as a missile in some medieval domestic dispute... 

A trebuchet could have chucked it, but then it is unlikely to have ended up in such good condition.  More likely it just fell overboard.  Such things do happen.  An old friend of mine was an assistant district officer in the Solomon Islands and had to travel around a lot by boat.  On an early trip he was given washing up duties and after finishing these he emptied the bucket of cleaning water over the side only to realize that all the cutlery was still in it.  Or, at the height of the fighting around Hankow after the 1911 uprising against the Qing government, the log of HMS Thistle, a gunboat moored off the foreign concessions, records "Lost overboard, wardroom sofa".  I often wonder quite how they managed that.

[Duncan Head]

One wonders how it got there.  I mean, it's a bit large for use as a missile in some medieval domestic dispute... 

If one party to the dispute had bathed in the magic potion in the cauldron, they'd have the strength to throw it afterwards.

[Nick Harbud]

One just hopes that no babies were thrown out with the magic potion before the cauldron was dropped over the side.... 

[Keraunos]

All self respecting magic items have a name.  This one could be called Ron 

[Erpingham]

All self respecting magic items have a name.  This one could be called Ron 

I think that name may be taken.  Arthur had a spear called Ron, I believe.

[skb777]

Showing some signs of Wear and tear

[Imperial Dave]

Groans

[stevenneate]

One wonders how it got there.  I mean, it's a bit large for use as a missile in some medieval domestic dispute... 

A trebuchet could have chucked it, but then it is unlikely to have ended up in such good condition.  More likely it just fell overboard.  Such things do happen.  An old friend of mine was an assistant district officer in the Solomon Islands and had to travel around a lot by boat.  On an early trip he was given washing up duties and after finishing these he emptied the bucket of cleaning water over the side only to realize that all the cutlery was still in it.  Or, at the height of the fighting around Hankow after the 1911 uprising against the Qing government, the log of HMS Thistle, a gunboat moored off the foreign concessions, records "Lost overboard, wardroom sofa".  I often wonder quite how they managed that.

Maybe the captain was lounging on it at the time and the rest, as they say, is mutiny.