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FOB
Unique ID: WMID-396016
Object type certainty: Certain
Workflow
status: Awaiting validation 
A copper alloy 'fob' or 'dangler', of probable late Iron Age or early Roman date. These objects are believed to be harness fittings. The object is badly damaged and incomplete, but would orginally have had an openwork decorative design within a frame. The frame is now missing, but the remnants of a swastika style design can be discerned from the alternating angles of the four remaining limbs. On the reverse the centre of the object has a projecting shank which terminates in a broken suspension loop. This shank is oval in section and measures 5.8 mm thick at its base, tapering to 4.0 mm at the suspension loop. The remains of the decorative field on the front of the object measures 20.7 mm long and 18.15 mm wide. The object is 27.73 mm high, from the face to the end of the shank. It weighs 5.8 grams. This example has a smooth green patina, pitted in places. Several similar objects have been recorded on the PAS database (see for example NARC-7584E7).
Fobs or danglers are a poorly understood artefact type, and may have been hung from items of equipment, personal apparel or harness decoration (Jope 2000, pp 285) . Jope (ibid.) records 17 known examples of danglers and related 'hangers' from Britain, while Macgregor (1976a, pp 37) records nine know examples of Triskele-decorated fobs from the British Isles.
Subsequent actions
Subsequent action after recording: Returned to finder
Chronology
Broad period: IRON AGE
Subperiod from: Late
Period from: IRON AGE
Subperiod to: Early
Period to: ROMAN
Date from: Circa 100 BC
Date to: Circa AD 100
Dimensions and weight
Quantity: 1
Length: 20.7 mm
Height: 27.73 mm
Width: 18.15 mm
Weight: 5.8 g
Discovery dates
Date(s) of discovery: Monday 1st February 2010 - Sunday 28th February 2010
Personal details
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Materials and construction
Primary material: Copper alloy
Manufacture method: Cast
Decoration style: Geometric
Completeness: Incomplete
Spatial metadata
Region: West Midlands (European Region)County or Unitary authority: Shropshire (Unitary Authority)
District: Shropshire (Unitary Authority)
Parish or ward: Worfield (Civil Parish)
Spatial coordinates
4 Figure: SO7393
Four figure Latitude: 52.534189
Four figure longitude: -2.399471
1:25K map: SO7393
1:10K map: SO79SW
Grid reference source: From a paper map
Unmasked grid reference accurate to a 1 metre square.
References cited
| Author | Publication Year | Title | Publication Place | Publisher | Pages | Reference | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jope, E.M. | 2000 | Early Celtic Art in the British Isles | Oxford | Oxford University Press | 285 | ||
| MacGregor, M. | 1976 | Early Celtic art in North Britain: a study of decorative metalwork from the third century B.C. to the third century A.D. | Leicester | Leicester University Press | 37 |
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Timeline of associated dates
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