BROOCH

Incomplete cast copper alloy oval plate brooch of Roman, third or early fourth century date (AD 200 – AD 325). Length 30mm, width 20mm and maximum thickness 3mm. Weight 4.79g. The brooch is oval in plan and parts of the outer edge are lost. It is composed of a flat plate. At the centre of the front is an upstanding flange forming an oval shaped-cell which is concentric with the outline shape of the brooch. The cell is 16.5mm in length along its major axis and 12mm in width along its minor axis. It has a depth of 1.5mm. The border formed by the oval perimeter and the outer edges of the cell may have had punched or tooled decoration and possibly would have been gilded. However, as this brooch is heavily corroded and abraded, it is uncertain whether it was decorated in this manner. At the rear, the face is flat and plain and also corroded. The vertically aligned lug and catch-plate are incomplete. Only the stub of the perforated lug survives and the curled-over part of the catch-plate to secure the pin is missing. The pin is also missing and this would probably have been sprung rather than hinged. Both the lug and catch-plate project slightly beyond the edges of the oval outline. On the rear of the plate, close to the lug, is a small deposit of iron corrosion. The piece is in poor condition. It is corroded and abraded overall and there is no evidence within the cell for any remains of a setting or for any adhesive that might have secured a setting.