BROOCH

Incomplete cast copper alloy Colchester derivative (Dolphin style) brooch of Roman date (43-150AD). The wings are incomplete with semi-cylindrical with perforated wing / end caps. The wing caps are missing and the axis bar and spring are lost. It is likely that the spring was attached by an external chord to a rearward facing hook, the remnants of which are located at the centre of the wings on the upper edge. The bow head is hump-like, and angular (comma shaped) in profile. The bow is D shaped in cross section. It extends to a thickened blunted point of a foot. It is possible that originally it was a turned cylindrical bulbous knop / foot which has been heavily abraded. The catch-plate is incomplete. It is formed from a rectangular central rib that begins below the head of the brooch on the reverse side. This rib expands and was most likely triangular in profile, however this has been lost by abrasion in the soil. The brooch measures 52.6mm length, 21.3mm width (across wings), 8.2mm width across bow, is 6.8mm thick across the bow, and weighs 13.64 grams. The brooch is decorated with cast motifs which have been almost lost through abrasion. There are several areas of decoration these are limited to the wings and also the bow. The junction between the wing and bow is decorated with two sub-rectangular lugs it is likely that this design would have been echoed on the wing caps. Decoration on the bow has been lost, it is possible that there was a single ridge that extended from the rearward facing hook at the head of the brooch to the mid point of the bow. The brooch is a light green brown colour with an uneven abraded patina. Where abrasion has occurred it is most evident on the external faces of the brooch. Movement in the plough soil has also distorted the profile of the brooch especially the wing and foot. Much of the surface of the bow has active copper corrosion and a light green powdery surface is present. Similar brooches can be seen in Richard Hattatt’s Visual Guide to Ancient brooches pp 300 fig; 159 and Bayley and Butcher: Roman Brooches in Britain pp 89-92.