The tablet is held by Arbeia Museum. It came to Arbeia in 1989 but it is unknown when it was donated to Tyne and Wear Archives and Museums or by whom. It came from Mesopotamia (Iraq) - the homeland of the 4th century garrison of Arbeia. Cuneiform was commonly written on baked and unbaked clay tablets. The tablets are usually small enough to hold in the hand. Early ones were oval, later ones rectangular. The stylus was made from a reed. Cuneiform was used from c.3500 BC to 1900 BC. The South Shields tablet is of a form common between 3000 and 1500 BC. Multiple copies were made to commemorate major building projects and were deposited in the foundations. The South Shields tablet reads 'EN.ZU-Ka-Si-id [Si n-Kasid] nita-Kala-ga [mighty man] Lugal-unu.Ki-ga [King of Uruk] Lugalam-na-nu-um [King of the Amnanum] (u-a)-e-an-na [provider of Eanna] e-g [al] [nam-lugal-la-ka-ni] m[u-du] [built his royal palace]. The Palace of Sin-kaid was located at Uruk in southern Mesopotamia. Scores of baked clay tablets and cones were found built into the mud foundations. E-anna (house of the heavens) is the temple of the goddess Inanna and god Ishtar of love.

In 1978 a pit was excavated that contained the remains of a complete military belt. Decorative belt plates, strap-ends and buckles are reasonably common site finds, but complete belt sets are rare. This belt had five plates, including the one which held the buckle, and a single strap end. It is likely that it was deliberately buried as an offering.

Excavations in the 1960s in the northern section of the fort found a fragment of a pottery plaque. It depicts half a human face. The surviving fragment shows one eye, a heavy eye-brow, part of the nose. Some features are outlined in brown paint.

In 1959 during excavations just otside the fort, a fragment of a statue was found. The statue was never made out of a single piece of stone. The arms were added separately (indicated by a hole in the shoulder) and a hole in the head suggests that the statue had a separate helmet or head-dress, perhaps made of metal. The statue has traces of paintwork - white on one cheek and red in the right nostril.

Vessel foundered and lost when run down by the Newcastle-registered SS BARON SELBORNE, 1911.

Built: 1865
Propulsion: Screw driven, 2 cylinder compound engine
Boilers: 1
Crew: 2

Vessel stranded and lost in wind conditions SSE force 1, between the piers, 1883. The NMR has another entry for Ann, 1883, listed on the Herd Sand (1366576
NZ 36 NE 879). The entry states that the brig was caught in a gale on February 9th.
The TOM PERRY (coxswain Arthur Landers Burn) was launched from South Shields. The WILLIE WOULDHAVE...was also launched, but the axle on the carriage broke, so the crew took the oars across to the NORTHUMBERLAND, which was still afloat, just beside the slipway, and off they went to the rescue of the crew of the brig ANN; each boat picked up four men from the wreck.
Built: 1836
Master: E L Atkinson
Crew: 7
Owner: J Hamley, St. Sampson's

October 1763 wreck of British collier which stranded between Shields and Blyth, on her voyage in ballast; a wooden sailing vessel. The Prince George, Nightingale and Charming Betty were all wrecked on the same night in gales.

Master: Bone or Bond

October 1763 wreck of British collier which stranded between Shields and Blyth, on her voyage in ballast; a wooden sailing vessel. The Prince George, Nightingale and Charming Betty were all wrecked on the same night in gales.

Master: Broderick

October 1763 wreck of British collier which stranded between Shields and Blyth, on her voyage in ballast; a wooden sailing vessel. The Prince George, Nightingale and Charming Betty were all wrecked on the same night in gales.

1810 wreck of English brig which stranded below Whitehill Point; a wooden sailing vessel. `To be sold, on Wednesday the 7th of March next, at Oyston's, South Shields, between the hours of 4 and 4 (William Smith, Auctioneer): The brig HELEN, belonging William Havelock, Esq., as she now lies sunk a little below Whitehill Point, in the River Tyne; with her lower masts, bowsprit, top-masts, and lower rigging. As the day of sale will be the very lowest spring ebb, the best sight of the ship's situation may be seen. 27th February, 1810.' (1)

`To be sold by auction, at Mr Smith's Quay, High-End of South Shields, on Tuesday, the 27th March, 1810: All the valuable materials belonging the ship HELEN, consisting of anchors, kedges, cables, warps, sails, masts, yards, standing and running rigging, boats, etc. The sale to begin at 10 o'clock in the forenoon.' (2)