PIN

An incomplete Roman bone hairpin probably dating AD 43-100. The pin consists of a circular shank with straight edges, broken about a third of the way down. There is a double rectangular collar separating the shank from the head. The head is that of a female bust with elaborate hairstyle The chest is trapezium shaped with a double set of engraves lines on the short edges. There is a circular collar around the neck. The face consists of a rectangular mouth and trapezoidal nose with circular eyes, the right higher than the left. The hair is decorated in a cross hatch pattern, imitating curls, with a bifurcated nodule on the top (perhaps depicting two hairpins). The reverse is flat with the hair decorated in carved chevrons.

It was fashionable in the Flavian period (AD 69-96) to wear hair in high false curls. This is perhaps what is being attempted here, but the crude nature of the design makes it difficult to know for certain. There is a similar example found in Crummy (1995, no. 445) and also in the British Museum collections: OA 245. This example is far cruder than the British Museum example, though perhaps from a craftsman attempting the same style.

Dimensions: length: 71.39 mm; width: 16.26 mm; thickness of stem: 4.58 mm; weight: 5.43g.

Reference: Crummy, N. 1995. The Roman small finds from excavations in Colchester 1971-1979. Colchester Archaeological Trust Ltd, Colchester.