RAZOR

A Roman cast copper-alloy handle from a twin bladed triangular razor. The handle is in the form of the head and neck of a griffin, with the head turned backwards. The griffin has forwards-pointing ears which follow the same line as the neck. The eyes are depicted by a horizontal engraved line within an elongated leaf-shaped moulding. The nose curves downwards and its tip tapers to a rounded end. The neck is decorated with slightly irregular transverse stamped lines, with a line of small pellets in between each. Below the neck are two closely-set transverse mouldings which are decorated with oblique engraved lines. On one side of the handle the plate below the neck narrows sharply, to create a thinned triangular knop, to which the blade would have been attached. The handle is 37.7mm long, 22.1mm wide, 5.1mm thick and weighs 12.4g. Boon cites a similar example from Narona, Dalmatia now in the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford. Boon suggests that razors of this type were most likely to be used for trimming beards. This example is very similar to FASW-A3A4DF, although less complete.