Rights Holder: Somerset County Council
CC License:
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Unique ID: SOM-6ACEE1
Object type certainty: Possibly
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status: Published
The leg and foot from a Roman copper-alloy bow brooch, possibly of the local devolved T-shaped type and dating to the 2nd century AD. The bow and leg are formed of a wide, flat and thin strip which narrows gradually towards the end. It is 11.7mm wide at the break and 6.6mm wide above the footknob. The knob is formed of a thick semicircle set at 90 degrees to the foot and slightly wider at 8.9mm.
The bow is decorated on the front with three longitudinal grooves just below the old break, below which seven transverse ridges and concomitant grooves. On the back is a large catch-plate, sub-triangular in shape, curved at the bow end, straight at the foot end, with an abraded fold along this latter. It has a web of c. 37.5mm. The bow curves gradually into the leg and down to the foot.
Bayley and Butcher (2004, 167-168) suggest this type to which this object is perhaps similar (T139) is an unusual variant of the T-shaped brooches with a mostly south western distribution; they suggest a second to possibly third century date. This object has an even dark-brown patina.
Class: T-shaped type
Subsequent action after recording: Returned to finder
Broad period: ROMAN
Period from: ROMAN
Period to: ROMAN
Date from: Circa AD 100
Date to: Circa AD 250
Quantity: 1
Length: 43.4 mm
Height: 17.1 mm
Width: 11.5 mm
Thickness: 2.2 mm
Weight: 7.11 g
Date(s) of discovery: Monday 1st April 2013 - Thursday 12th September 2013
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Other reference: SCC receipt 22389
Grid reference source: From a paper map
Unmasked grid reference accurate to a 100 metre square.
Author | Publication Year | Title | Publication Place | Publisher | Pages | Reference | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bayley, J. and Butcher, S. | 2004 | Roman Brooches in Britain: A Technological and Typological Study Based on the Richborough Collection | London | The Society of Antiquaries | 167-168 | T139 |