Rights Holder: Northamptonshire County Council
CC License: 
Image use policy
Our images can be used under a CC BY attribution licence (unless stated otherwise).
BROOCH
Unique ID: NARC-F2CC26
Object type certainty: Certain
Workflow
status: Awaiting validation 
An incomplete cast copper alloy Roman 'crossbow' brooch dating to c. 3rd century AD. The brooch consists of only the wings and upper portion of the curved bow. The wings are short and roughly circular in section and terminate with large onion-shaped, faceted knops. A hole at the central bar suggest a third upward projecting knop fitted here, but is now missing. This shallow curve of the bow indicates an earlier date of AD 175-250.
The wings, from terminal to terminal are 41mm wide. the onion knops are 10.5mm in diameter. The bow is triangular in section and is broken at 25mm from the back of the connecting junction.
For similar see this database: BERK-9A21B0 and NMS-28B392.
Class: crossbow
Subsequent actions
Subsequent action after recording: Returned to finder
Chronology
Broad period: ROMAN
Period from: ROMAN
Period to: ROMAN
Date from: Circa AD 175
Date to: Circa AD 250
Dimensions and weight
Quantity: 1
Length: 24 mm
Width: 41 mm
Weight: 16 g
Personal details
This information is restricted for your access level.
Materials and construction
Primary material: Copper alloy
Manufacture method: Cast
Completeness: Incomplete
Spatial metadata
Region: East Midlands (European Region)County or Unitary authority: Northamptonshire (County)
District: South Northamptonshire (District)
Parish or ward: Potterspury (Civil Parish)
Spatial coordinates
4 Figure: SP7348
Four figure Latitude: 52.1255
Four figure longitude: -0.935091
1:25K map: SP7348
1:10K map: SP74NW
Grid reference source: GPS (from the finder)
Unmasked grid reference accurate to a 1 metre square.
References cited
No references cited so far.
Similar objects
Find number: BERK-9A21B0
Object type: BROOCH
Broadperiod: ROMAN
An incomplete cast copper alloy Roman 'crossbow' brooch dating to c. 3rd century AD. The brooch consists of only the wings and upper portion …
Workflow: Awaiting validation
Find number: LANCUM-503303
Object type: BROOCH
Broadperiod: ROMAN
Fragment of a very simple lead-ally crossbow brooch, probably dating from the Roman period, that is c. AD175-250. Only part of the bow and th…
Workflow: Awaiting validation
Find number: LANCUM-D2CD34
Object type: BROOCH
Broadperiod: ROMAN
Fragment of a Roman crossbow brooch dating from the late 3rd-4th century AD. The complete brooch would have been broadly 'P'-shaped in prof…
Workflow: Awaiting validation
Timeline of associated dates
About Us
About our Site
Find us
The British Museum, Great Russell Street, London WC1B 3DG.
T: +44(0) 20 73238618