Rights Holder: St. Albans District Council
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Unique ID: BH-220C84
Object type certainty: Certain
Workflow
status: Awaiting validation
Part of a copper-alloy tankard handle, dating from the Early Roman period.
The piece, which represents the central element of the handle, has a top-to-bottom curvature and is of flat section. The design on the convex outer surface comprises a pair of spirals, one at 180 degrees to the other, with a separating strand. This strand is broken at either end, as is the projecting end of each of the spirals. An oval cell containing traces of red enamel is located at the centre of each spiral; this is surrounded by a pair of engraved elliptical panels, one of which has been transversely segmented.
Width: 39.5mm; length: 26.3mm; thickness: 3.7mm. Weight: 14.87g.
This identification was provided by Jonathan Horn (pers. comm.), who compares the form to that of two handles found in a hoard of Late Iron Age to Early Roman metalwork at Camerton, Someset (Jackson 1990: 45/Pl. 12, nos. 119 and 120). Horn dates this example to c. AD 50 - c. 75 based on its stylistic similarities to other well dated examples from Seven Sisters (Davies & Spratling 1976), Biddlesden (Joy 2006 unpublished MS) and Hallaton (Score 2011). Horn also comments: 'This group is also joined by stray handles from Warminster, Coelbren, Shiptonthorpe, Haversham and Hod Hill (II). This handle fits into my 'Curvilinear Group' which typically display openwork s-shaped (or reverse s-shaped) motifs and often red glass inserts. Their distribution extends from south-east Wales as far east as Buckinghamshire and as far south as Dorset. This group are cast using the lost wax technique and feature between one and three rivet holes on each of their circular or oval attachment plates.'
This has been noted as an interesting find by the recorder.
Subsequent action after recording: Returned to finder
Broad period: ROMAN
Subperiod from: Early
Period from: ROMAN
Date from: Circa AD 50
Date to: Circa AD 75
Quantity: 1
Length: 26.3 mm
Width: 39.5 mm
Thickness: 3.7 mm
Weight: 14.87 g
Date(s) of discovery: Sunday 1st December 2013
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Other reference: Ver 14/1 - 57
Primary material: Copper alloy
Manufacture method: Cast
Completeness: Incomplete
Surface Treatment: Inlaid with enamel
Grid reference source: Generated from computer mapping software
Unmasked grid reference accurate to a 10 metre square.
Author | Publication Year | Title | Publication Place | Publisher | Pages | Reference | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Davies, J.L. and Spratling, M.G. | 1976 | The Seven Sisters hoard: a centenary study | Cardiff | National Museum of Wales | |||
Jackson, R. | 1990 | Camerton: A Catalogue of the Late Iron Age and Early Roman Metalwork | London | British Museum Press | |||
Score, V. | 2011 | Hoards, hounds and helmets. A Conquest-period ritual site at Hallaton, Leicestershire | Leicester | University of Leicester Archaeological Sevices |