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BUCKET
Unique ID: SOMDOR-B23561
Object type certainty: Probably
Workflow
status: Published 
A probable cast copper alloy ox-head bucket handle escutcheon, of Roman date. The upper portion has a small part missing, but appears to have been decorated with a number of linear ridges, in an asymmetrical arrangement. The circular perforation (5mm diameter) is also not symmetrically placed, but is slightly to the left of centre. This section is separated from the ox's horns by a thin undecorated band. The horns are simple, with slightly protruding pointed ends and near vertical linear grooves. There is a slim horizontal band below this, between the horns and the ox's face, which is rounded around the eyes, before narrowing and flaring out again at the nose. The ox's round eyes have been set with dark blue glass and the area around them is decorated with small shallow U-shapes. The nostrils, which point downwards, are faintly defined. Immediately below them is another perforation (2.8mm in diameter), presumably used for mounting the object. The back is rough and undecorated. The object is flat rather than curved and may therefore have graced quite a large bucket. This object is similar to other examples of ox-head bucket handle escutcheons, including one from the Roman villa at Shakenoak in Oxfordshire (pers. comm. Sally Worrell). Although ox-head mounts also appear in the late Iron Age, round eyes are generally a sign that the mount is of Roman date.
Class:
Handle escutcheon
Sub class: Ox-head
Subsequent actions
Subsequent action after recording: Returned to finder
Chronology
Broad period: ROMAN
Subperiod from: Early
Period from: ROMAN
Subperiod to: Late
Period to: ROMAN
Date from: AD 43
Date to: AD 300
Dimensions and weight
Quantity: 1
Length: 58.4 mm
Width: 31.9 mm
Thickness: 5.46 mm
Weight: 20.68 g
Discovery dates
Date(s) of discovery: Friday 28th January 2005
Personal details
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Materials and construction
Primary material: Copper alloy
Secondary material: Glass
Manufacture method: Cast
Completeness: Incomplete
Spatial metadata
Region: South West (European Region)County or Unitary authority: Dorset (County)
District: North Dorset (District)
To be known as: Compton Abbas
Spatial coordinates
Grid reference source: From finder
Unmasked grid reference accurate to a 10 metre square.
References cited
| Author | Publication Year | Title | Publication Place | Publisher | Pages | Reference | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brodribb, A.C.C., Hands, A.R. and Walker, D.R. | 1968 | Excavations at Shakenoak Farm, near Wilcote, Oxfordshire | Privately Printed | 82-83 | Fig. 27, no. 1 |
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Timeline of associated dates
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