BROOCH

An incomplete Roman copper alloy brooch of mid 1st to mid 2nd century date. the brooch is a bow and fantail type consisting of the head with the spring in situ, the bow and catchplate. The pin has been lost to an old break at the head.

The head has semi circular sectioned wings, concave at the back to accomodate the spring. the spring is coiled around a central axis bar, now just visible on one side. The spring mechanism is heavily corroded and now appears as one section with the wings. The centre of the wings has a vertical slit, in which the upper remains of the pin is attached. This piece is a rectangular copper alloy plate with a central piercing, through which the axis bar passes. The plate would have tapered into a thin wire with a pointed end. On top of the head, projecting vertically upwards, there is a remnant of a chain loop, now broken into two points. The head has a flat back producing a 'D' shape with the curved edge producing the wings. The bow extends sharply from the flat back of the head at a 45 degree angle. The bow is initially 'D' shaped in section at the head before flattening into a rectangular sectioned plate at the centre and foot.

The centre of the bow widens into an oval boss with a circular central cell. A circular sectioned lug projects at 90 degrees from either side of this oval area.The cell possibly contained enamel or glass as there are traces of a lighter patination within. From the base of the oval boss, the sides flare into a triangular foot. The upper surface is decorated with three circular cells reflecting the points of the triangle, the lower two joined to the top one with a curving line within a recessed space contained by an outer triangular border. Within the three circular cells are the remains of orange enamel or glass whilst the outer recessed area contains red remains. The catchplate is situated on the reverse of the foot, now in the form of a projecting triangular plate. The upper edges of the plate are likely to have originally curved over, now broken.

The front of the brooch has traces of tinning along with small patches of damage which has revealed the original surface through the matt green patination. It measures 36.4mm long and 21.7mm wide at the head,16.1mm at the circular boss lugs, 19.5mm at the foot. The bow is 6.3mm wide and the brooch measures 15.2mm thick and weighs 11.73g.

Similar brooches are illustrated by Hattatt (2000: 315). A similar brooch was also found at Richborough (Butcher and Bayley 2004: no. 238), and the authors suggest that the uniform nature of brooches of this category may indicate production by a single workshop (ibid. 168-169).