ESS-031E91: Roman copper-alloy brooch, possibly a knee brooch.

Rights Holder: Colchester Museums
CC License:


Rights Holder: Colchester Museums
CC License:

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BROOCH

Unique ID: ESS-031E91

Object type certainty: Certain
Workflow status: Published Find published

Early Anglo-Saxon cast copper-alloy supporting-arm brooch. It has a sub-rectangular head with cylindrical wings and capped ends. It has a semi-circular sectioned bow, is C-shaped in profile and has a straight leg. There is no foot knob. There are pairs of transverse grooved lines at the top and bottom of the straight leg, at the top and bottom of the bow, at the bottom of the rectangular head, and there is a single transverse grooved line at the top of the head. The back is undecorated. The catchplate has survived and extends to the end of the brooch's foot, but the curl is missing. There is also no spring (although the wings are full of corrosion) or pin. The break edges are worn. The original surface has an even green patina, but it is pitted and abraded. It measures 33.32mm long, 16.68mm wide, 5.42mm thick and weighs 6.77g.

Supporting-arm brooches were divided into two types by Böhme (1974) which was then summarised in English by Evison (1977). This example fits into Bohme's Typ Perlberg, with a narrower head.

Notes:

Part of the Abbott collection. Object description taken partially from photograph.

Class: supporting arm

Subsequent actions

Subsequent action after recording: Returned to finder

Chronology

Broad period: EARLY MEDIEVAL
Subperiod from: Early
Period from: EARLY MEDIEVAL
Subperiod to: Early
Period to: EARLY MEDIEVAL
Ascribed Culture: Anglo-Saxon style
Date from: Circa AD 420
Date to: Circa AD 460

Dimensions and weight

Quantity: 1
Length: 33.32 mm
Width: 16.68 mm
Weight: 6.77 g

Personal details

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Materials and construction

Primary material: Copper alloy
Completeness: Incomplete

Spatial metadata

Region: Eastern (European Region)
County or Unitary authority: Essex (County)
District: Chelmsford (District)
Parish or ward: Roxwell (Civil Parish)

Spatial coordinates

4 Figure: TL6408
Four figure Latitude: 51.746697
Four figure longitude: 0.374213
1:25K map: TL6408
1:10K map: TL60NW
Grid reference source: From finder
Unmasked grid reference accurate to a 100 metre square.

Discovery metadata

Method of discovery: Metal detector
General landuse: Cultivated land

References cited

Author Publication Year Title Publication Place Publisher Pages Reference
Hattatt, R. 1982 Ancient and Romano-British brooches Sherborne Dorset Publishing 114-117

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Timeline of associated dates

Audit data

Recording Institution: ESS
Created: 17 years ago
Updated: 5 years ago

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