BROOCH

An incomplete enamelled copper alloy umbonate plate brooch, of Roman dating (AD 100 to AD 250).

Approximately 75% of the brooch is present, with only the pin and part of the catch plate missing, presumably lost in antiquity.

The brooch is sub circular in shape, with three (3) surviving projecting knops and is domed (convex) in cross section. The front consists of a domed boss, with two concentric circles of triangular enamelled cells, arranged around a central circular cell. Both the inner and outer circles have been made up of fourteen cells, with alternating red and blue enamel. A thin rim is present around the edge of the outermost circle. It is to this rim that the projecting knops are attached at the cardinal points. Two of the projecting knops consist of the hinge and catch plate for the pin on the reverse.

The back of the brooch is plain and undecorated. It is concave. The base of the catch plate are still present on one side of the brooch, and the majority of the hinge on the other. The pin is missing.

The brooch measures 33.9 mm in length, 25.2 mm wide and 11.7 mm thick. It weighs 9.2 grams.

The brooch is a green colour, with an even surface patina. Abrasion, caused by movement whilst within the ploughsoil, has resulted in a loss of some of the original surface detail.

Umbonate brooches of this type are frequently encountered finds. Hattatt (2000) dates one from Owmby, Lincolnshire (p. 350, fig 209, #128) to the 2nd Century. Other comparative examples recorded on the PAS database include BERK-356282 from Oxfordshire, SF-F7D194 from Suffolk, DENO-60F478 from Nottinghamshire, and HAMP-7EAF20 from Hampshire.

Reference:
Hattatt, R. (2000) A Visual Catalogue of Richard Hattatt's Ancient Brooches. Oxbow Books, Oxford.