Rights Holder: Suffolk County Council
CC License:
Our images can be used under a CC BY attribution licence (unless stated otherwise).
Unique ID: SF-B857C1
Object type certainty: Certain
Workflow
status: Published
An incomplete and worn cast copper-alloy zoomorphic plate brooch of Roman date. It is in the form of a hunter and prey, presumably a hound and hare or similar, missing the tail of the hunter/hound, head of the prey/hare and half of the pin due to old breaks. The hound is depicted running to the right with sub-triangular body, outstretched forelegs, short and incomplete tail and triangular head with projecting triangular ear. Its snout joins to the hind quarters of the prey, which has a short oval body, short vertical back leg, and foreleg pulled up to its chest as if running. The base of the neck is visible but the head is missing due to old breaks. Both animals have traces of possible incised lines on their bodies that may be intended to represent hair, as well as areas where an added white metal coating just survives, but the precise form of the decorative elements is obscured due to post-depositional corrosion. On the back face of the hound is an integrally cast semi-circular double pin lug that holes in place a separately cast cylindrical copper-alloy pin, missing its tip due to old breaks. At the opposite end, behind the hare, is an integral catchplate that is rectangular in form with folded outer edge. The entire object measures 32.94mm in surviving length, 12.25mm in height, 3.26mm in thickness at plate, 8.15mm in thickness at pin, and 2.91g in weight.
This is an incomplete zoomorphic plate brooch of Roman date depicting a hunter and prey, probably a hare and hound. Two similar examples from Baldock (Herts) are published by Mackreth (2011: pp. 185-186, nos. 8141-8142, pl. 128). These are continental in manufacture, belonging in Mackreth's Plate and Related Part 3, Group 7.3 brooches produced by the Atelier C workshop. They have a date range in the early Roman period, probably the later 1st century AD and potentially with a military association (Mackreth, 2011: p. 186).
Class: Zoomorphic (hound and hare)
Subsequent action after recording: Returned to finder
Broad period: ROMAN
Period from: ROMAN
Period to: ROMAN
Date from: Circa AD 43
Date to: Circa AD 100
Quantity: 1
Length: 32.94 mm
Height: 12.25 mm
Thickness: 3.26 mm
Weight: 2.91 g
Date(s) of discovery: Monday 1st September 2014
This information is restricted for your access level.
SMR reference number: WKS 003
Primary material: Copper alloy
Manufacture method: Cast
Completeness: Incomplete
Grid reference source: Generated from computer mapping software
Unmasked grid reference accurate to a 10 metre square.
No references cited so far.