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BROOCH
Unique ID: BUC-3E1EF1
Object type certainty: Certain
Workflow
status: Awaiting validation 
An incomplete cast copper alloy plate brooch of Roman or early-medieval date. The brooch is in the form of a swastika (in it's original form, not reversed like the Nazi swastika). The upper surface of the brooch is undecorated. The underside of the brooch retains the pin lug and the catchplate but the pin is missing. This type of brooch generally dates to the second half of the second century running into the 3rd century AD. The swastika, the 'crux gammatica' (a cross formed from 4 Greek capital gamma characters) was widely used long before the Christian period, possibly in pagan religious contexts. It did however continue in use into the early-medieval Christian period as a veiled symbol of the Cross (Hattatt 1987:222).
The brooch type and form is comparatively unusual, Hattatt (1987:222, no. 1145) records a broadly similar example from Roman Syria. Parallels recorded with PAS include NMGW-798BAB, LVPL-01AD05, SUR-EEBBB0, SF-CFDB27, LVPL-F52FB5 and SUSS-5BE681. Hattatt (ibid) records that the type is uncommon but widespread across the Roman Empire and states that Hull catalogued four examples from the military north of Britain, as his type 276
Find of note status
This is a find of note and has been designated: County / local importance
Subsequent actions
Subsequent action after recording: Returned to finder
Chronology
Broad period: ROMAN
Period from: ROMAN
Period to: ROMAN
Date from: Circa AD 150
Date to: Circa AD 300
Dimensions and weight
Quantity: 1
Length: 29.3 mm
Width: 28.51 mm
Thickness: 2.05 mm
Weight: 11.75 g
Discovery dates
Date(s) of discovery: Sunday 19th September 2010
Personal details
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Materials and construction
Primary material: Copper alloy
Manufacture method: Cast
Completeness: Complete
Spatial metadata
Region: South East (European Region)County or Unitary authority: Oxfordshire (County)
District: South Oxfordshire (District)
To be known as: Watlington
Spatial coordinates
Grid reference source: From finder
Unmasked grid reference accurate to a 100 metre square.
References cited
No references cited so far.
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Timeline of associated dates
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