BROOCH

An incomplete cast copper-alloy (rear hook) Aesica brooch, dating to the early Roman period (c. AD 50-75).

The brooch has a half-cylindrical wings spring case, one of the ends has broken off and the spring and pin are now missing. The spring case is 22.01 mm in width and has a diameter of 6.84 mm and is decorated with a circumferential groove at each wing end, the rear hoof represented by a small stub curved and protruding towards the spring case. Springing from the wings is the upper bow, it is three-lobed with the outer two lobes terminating with knops. The bow is decorated with a central raised longitudinal ridge, at the junction of the wings and bow, the ridge is stepped, the ridge itself carries parallel longitudinal grooves that frame a central column of diagonal lines. The brooch has a lower bow which is sub-circular and seen from the front, it appears crescentic. Flaring out from the lower bow is the fantail or foot and is broadly triangular with slightly raised triangles, side-by-side, which frame a central high relief triangle, delineated by a border decorated with diagonal lines. Similar diagonal lines decorated the borders of the outer two triangles. The reverse is undecorated. A circular rivet is present on the reverse, opposite the upper bow's central lobe, where the upper bow has been attached to the circular lower bow. The catchplate is very worn. White-metal coating is present on the reverse and decorated side. The brooch takes a green hue with patches of brown.

Length: 53.39 mm; Width: 31.66 mm; Thickness (wings to upper bow): 12.62 mm; Weight: 26.60g

The brooch is similar to examples in Mackreth (2011, V2: p31, Plate 28, in particular 6092), making it Mackreth type AESICA 2. For parallels on the PAS database see WMID-FB2756, NMS-813603 and GLO-FF9AA6. 

Hattatt, A Visual Catalogue of Richard Hattatt's Ancient Brooches, fig.169-170, p.310-311.