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KEY (LOCKING)
Unique ID: SOM-8F3994
Object type certainty: Certain
Workflow
status: Published 
A copper-alloy finger-ring with integral key dating to the earlier Roman period. The hoop is broadly circular and D-shaped in cross-section, being flat internally (int. dia.: 17.2mm max.). There are no shoulders as such and the bezel is only slightly thicker than the hoop. As with such artefacts the bit protrudes at right angles to the bezel such that the key element lay flat on the finger. The bit begins with a trapezoidal base that is decorated with a pair of transverse grooves. Above this is a recess each side to a narrow waist before the main sub-triangular upper element. The triangle terminates in a lobed trefoil. It features a central inverted T shape openwork perforation. The bezel has been bent inwards slightly following old damage. The metal has a red/brown colour with some areas of light-green corrosion product. Crummy (1983, 84) suggests that ring-keys with flat bezels may date to the early Roman period, and we succeeded by rotary keys.
Notes:
Ring-keys generally belonged to small boxes or caskets of personal possessions rather than doors or cupboards (Crummy 1983, 84).
Class:
ring key
Sub class: Guiraud type 5b
Subsequent actions
Subsequent action after recording: Returned to finder
Chronology
Broad period: ROMAN
Period from: ROMAN
Period to: ROMAN
Date from: Circa AD 50
Date to: Circa AD 250
Dimensions and weight
Quantity: 1
Length: 20.6 mm
Height: 17.6 mm
Width: 19.7 mm
Thickness: 1.8 mm
Weight: 2.86 g
Personal details
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Other reference numbers
Other reference: SCC receipt 21984
Materials and construction
Spatial metadata
Region: South West (European Region)County or Unitary authority: Somerset (County)
District: South Somerset (District)
To be known as: Misterton CP
Spatial coordinates
Grid reference source: From a paper map
Unmasked grid reference accurate to a 100 metre square.
References cited
| 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 | 84 |
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