Rights Holder: Leicestershire County Council
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Unique ID: LEIC-F766A4
Object type certainty: Certain
Workflow
status: Published
Roman copper alloy zoomorphic (Horse and Rider) type plate brooch, 22mm long, 17mm wide and 1.5mm thick. The object is in good condition and weighs 2.28grams. The brooch is in the form of a horse facing right with a rounded neck but no face and a sub rectangular body with a flat underside and the upper part of two legs and the stump of a tail. Above the horse is a rider with a triangular body and a sub circular head showing a crested hair style or helmet plume. Both the horse and rider have circular depressions for eyes. There are four enamel cells on the surface, within the rider is a linear cell (empty) to its 'front' side with a circular cell (red) behind. On the horse is a linear cell (blue at front- red at back) running along the bottom which curls round forming the horses thigh and a circular cell (blue) near the horse chest. The rear of the brooch contains the remains of a catch plate.
This is a Roman zoomorphic/anthropomorphic horse and rider plate brooch similar to examples from the Hockwold group (Gurney, 1986: pp. 65, Fig. 41) and from elsewhere in Suffolk (e.g. SF-A332A2, SF-25CEA4 or SF-429484). The horse and rider types are often found in groups on religious sites and are commonest in north Suffolk / Norfolk / Cambs/Leics and Lincs, ie in and around Icenian territory, but also in Hampshire (Hayling Island) and Somerset (Lamyatt Beacon). Dated contexts indicate 3rd and 4th century AD use.
Class: zoomorphic (horse and rider)
Current location of find: Bosworth battlefield centre
Subsequent action after recording: Undergoing further examination at a museum
Broad period: ROMAN
Period from: ROMAN
Period to: ROMAN
Date from: Circa AD 200
Date to: Exactly AD 410
Quantity: 1
Length: 22 mm
Width: 17 mm
Thickness: 1.5 mm
Weight: 2.28 g
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Other reference: Bos4896
Primary material: Copper alloy
Secondary material: Enamel
Manufacture method: Cast
Completeness: Incomplete
Grid reference source: GPS (from the finder)
Unmasked grid reference accurate to a 10 metre square.
No references cited so far.