This is a Roman bear cameo from Arbeia. It’s cut from sardonyx stone, a type of agate. As well as being unbelievably detailed and beautiful, it offers a tantalising clue about the place. I wrote in this post about the post-Roman name for South Shields being ‘Caer Urfa’, with ‘caer’ meaning fort while ‘urfa’ remains … Continue reading Caer Urfa and the Agate Bear