Rights Holder: York Museums Trust
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Unique ID: YORYM-BE5842
Object type certainty: Certain
Workflow
status: Awaiting validation
A complete cast copper-alloy lock pin of Roman date, c.AD 43 - 410. The lock pin is comprised of a rectangular-sectioned shaft with a circular perforation and a wide, circular head. The shaft tapers slightly from the head of the lock pin to the base. From the widest end of the shaft is an integrally cast collar from which the spindle shaped head extends. The upper face of the head is sunken around a central boss.
The metal has a mid greenish-brown colour and is worn. The lock pin is 31.9mm long, 6.3mm wide, 4.5mm thick, 13.8mm in diameter at the head and weighs 8.1g.
A similar example is illustrated in Crummy, p.125, fig.137, no.4142, and is from a 2nd century context.
Bell-shaped studs are a multi-purpose form of artefact, commonly found on sites dating to the Roman period. The key difference from other Roman studs, nails and fittings is the circular countersunk or convex face, which usually has at its centre a boss or cone.
While their exact purpose is not fully understood, they are believed to have been used, for example, on furniture, doors, and caskets, such as the bronze box-plate from Walheim Germany (Allason-Jones and McKay 1985, 30). It is noted that unless found in-situ, or as part of a set, it is rarely possible to attribute the stud to a specific purpose (Allason-Jones 2011, 8-9). Often found in association with northern frontier forts, the studs are known to be in use from the 1st to 4th centuries AD.
Refs:
Allason-Jones, L. (2011) Artefacts in Roman Britain: Their Purpose and Use. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Allason-Jones, L. and McKay, B. (1985) Coventina's Well: A Shrine on Hadrian’s Wall. Trustees of the Clayton Collection Chesters Museum, Hexham.
Class:
bell shaped
Sub class: Allason-Jones type 2
Subsequent action after recording: Returned to finder
Broad period: ROMAN
Period from: ROMAN
Period to: ROMAN
Date from: Circa AD 43
Date to: Circa AD 410
Quantity: 1
Length: 31.9 mm
Width: 6.3 mm
Thickness: 4.5 mm
Weight: 8.1 g
Diameter: 13.8 mm
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Primary material: Copper alloy
Manufacture method: Cast
Completeness: Complete
Grid reference source: GPS (from the finder)
Unmasked grid reference accurate to a 1 metre square.
Author | Publication Year | Title | Publication Place | Publisher | Pages | Reference | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Crummy, N. | 1983 | Colchester Archaeological Report 2: The Roman small finds from excavations in Colchester, 1971-9 | Colchester | Colchester Archaeological Trust Ltd | p.125 | fig.137, no.4142 |