Rights Holder: National Museums Liverpool
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Unique ID: LVPL-D1295B
Object type certainty: Certain
Workflow
status: Awaiting validation
An incomplete cast copper alloy Late Saxon tongue-shaped copper alloy strap-end of Thomas' (2004) Class E. The attachment end is incomplete. Just below the attachment the object is decorated with a double horizontal ridge separated with a groove. The top ridge is decorated with punched dot decoration. The object is decorated in relief and with openwork.
The strap end has a central square with four punched dots. Four separate raised sub-ovals sit at each side of the central square. Projecting from each corner of the square is a narrow arm, each decorated with three punched dots and one punched ring-and-dot at the terminal of each arm. These arms are joined with the edges of the sub-ovals by a narrow strip of copper alloy resulting in eight openwork sub-triangles. Four of the eight openwork sub-triangles are not enclosed due to breaks which appear to be recent. At the attachment end four ridge and grooves join the upper oval to the horizontal ridge. The terminal end is damaged and appears to have a grooved X in the middle of a small raised sub-oval with a punched dot to one side. The opposite side of the X is worn and is likely to have been decorated with a punched dot also.
The rear of the object is undecorated and is concave below the four sub-ovals. The object has a smooth light green patina and is in fair condition.
Tongue-shaped strap ends such as this one were popular on the Carolingian continent and in Scandinavia during the 9th and 10th centuries, where it was regularly used to embellish baldrics, Thomas, (2004), p1.
Notes:
This strap end does not have a strong the anthropomorphic element and may be a devolved version of Winchester style. However it does not fit comfortably into either Thomas's Type 1 or Type 2.
This is a find of note and has been designated: Regional importance
Class: Thomas Class E, Type uncertain
Subsequent action after recording: Returned to finder
Broad period: EARLY MEDIEVAL
Period from: EARLY MEDIEVAL
Period to: EARLY MEDIEVAL
Ascribed Culture:
Anglo-Saxon style
Date from: Circa AD 800
Date to: Circa AD 1000
Quantity: 1
Length: 39.45 mm
Width: 21.86 mm
Thickness: 4.85 mm
Weight: 8.3 g
Date(s) of discovery: Sunday 1st June 2014
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Other reference: Finder Reference 2
Primary material: Copper alloy
Manufacture method: Cast
Decoration style: Figurative
Completeness: Incomplete
Grid reference source: Generated from computer mapping software
Unmasked grid reference accurate to a 1 metre square.
Author | Publication Year | Title | Publication Place | Publisher | Pages | Reference | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Thomas, G. | 2003 | Late Anglo-Saxon and Viking-age strap-ends 750-1100. Part 2 | Finds Research Group 700-1700 |