UNIDENTIFIED OBJECT

A worn and slightly corroded cast copper-alloy object 0f uncertain function or date. At one end it has a flattened terminal that is rectangular in form with a central circular perforation and two small triangular notches to each side. Beneath the terminal the object constricts slightly and has a small notch to one side, the opposing side partially missing due to old breaks and corrosion. The main body of the object extending from the terminal is flat, rectangular in form and with a curved profile. At the opposite end to the terminal it narrows both horizontally and vertically to a sharpened point, a shallow groove on the interior surface indicative that it was deliberately bent in order to produce its current form. There are perhaps further notches along the sides of the object but this is uncertain as one side of the object has been deliberately worked towards the point and both are incomplete due to old breaks and wear. The surfaces have traces of a dark brown patina as well as pale green copper-alloy corrosive products. It measures 59.37mm in length, 7.34mm in width, 1.74mm in thickness, and weighs 2.76g. The precise form and function of this object remain uncertain. The terminal end and notches along the sides are reminiscent of the terminal ends from Roman bracelets (see for example Crummy, 1983: nos. 1725, 1729, 1732). However, in its current form it more closely resembles copper-alloy pins of the Anglo-Saxon period such as examples published from Suffolk (West, 1998: nos. 21.16, 43.5, 105.9). While an entirely later date cannot be ruled out entirely, it is possible that the current object originally formed part of a Roman bracelet that was later modified, perhaps during the Anglo-Saxon period, to be utilised as a pin or needle.