WILT-947963: Early Early-Medieval Saucer Brooch

Rights Holder: Salisbury and South Wiltshire Museum
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Rights Holder: Salisbury and South Wiltshire Museum
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BROOCH

Unique ID: WILT-947963

Object type certainty: Certain
Workflow status: Published

An incomplete copper alloy Early Early-Medieval (410-600) Saucer brooch, missing its (iron) pin. It measures 41.24mm in diameter and weighs 19.25g. The brooch would have originally been gilded. The orangey-pinky colour it displays now may be the remains of this, although it has been cleaned by the finder. The decoration is in the form of a central raised boss encircled by radial lines forming a rosette. This is further enclosed by two concentric rings, the outside one of which is ‘beaded’. Beyond is a border of basket work ornament, again within two concentric ‘beaded’ rings at the perimeter. The saucer-like rim extends upwards and outwards, to a height of 5.37mm from the underside of the brooch. To the reverse are the remains is a single D-shaped lug with traces of iron corrosion (from the pin) to either side, and a catchplate in alignment below. Cf. an example from Brighthampton, Oxfordshire (MacGregor and Bolick 1993, 49 no. 2.33). MacGregor and Bolick comment that Saucer brooches were normally worn by women (and, occasionally, young girls), in pairs at the shoulder or the breast and date to the 5th and 6th century, probably extending a few decades into the 7th century.

Find of note status

This has been noted as an interesting find by the recorder.

Class: Saucer

Chronology

Broad period: EARLY MEDIEVAL
Subperiod from: Early
Period from: EARLY MEDIEVAL
Date from: AD 410
Date to: AD 600

Dimensions and weight

Quantity: 1
Thickness: 5.37 mm
Weight: 19.25 g
Diameter: 41.27 mm

Discovery dates

Date(s) of discovery: Sunday 1st November 2009

Personal details

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Materials and construction

Primary material: Copper alloy
Completeness: Incomplete
Surface Treatment: Gilded

Spatial metadata

Region: South West (European Region)
County or Unitary authority: Wiltshire (Unitary Authority)
District: Wiltshire (Unitary Authority)
To be known as: Salisbury

Spatial coordinates

Grid reference source: From a paper map
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
MacGregor, A. and Bolick, E.	1993	A summary catalogue of the Anglo-Saxon collections (non-ferrous metals), Ashmolean Museum, Oxford	Oxford	Tempvs Reparatum	49	2.33

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Timeline of associated dates

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Audit data

Recording Institution: WILT
Created: 14 years ago
Updated: 4 years ago

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