Rights Holder: Somerset County Council
CC License:

Image use policy

Our images can be used under a CC BY attribution licence (unless stated otherwise).

BROOCH

Unique ID: SOM-BF0A91

Object type certainty: Certain
Workflow status: Published

Fragment of a Roman copper alloy Initial T-shaped brooch dating to AD 70 to 100. It is missing one wing, the pin and the lower part of the bow, including the catchplate. The head has a hollow cylindrical wing on one side, undecorated, 15.8mm wide, to hold the axis bar for the hinged pin, the other wing is missing. The head of the pin would have hinged on the axis bar in the slot, the end of the wing adjacent to the slot is filled with iron corrosion which may be the remains of the bar.

The bow has a C-shaped cross section with a concave back and convex curved front. It projects at 80 degrees from the head then immediately starts to curve over 110 degrees before running straight to the patinated break. The bow narrows and thins gradually but consistantly from the top to the break. There is moulded decoration on the front of the bow with a raised central strip running down from the top and narrowing evenly along its length to finish in a point about two thirds of the way down the remaining part of the bow. This strip is decorated with deeply indented transverse lines dividing it into longer sections alternating with short sections.

The brooch is 28.2mm long; 15.8mm wide and 5.6mm thick, it weighs 5.46gms.

Bayley and Butcher (2004; 159) describe initial T-shaped brooches as 'usually hinged, not enamelled but sometimes with fine relief decoration and lacking a headloop.' They suggest a Flavian association (AD 69-96) and illustrate an example (T135), with similar raised ridge on the upper part of the bow. SOM-0310A1 on this database, from West Somerset, is similar.

Class: Initial T-shaped brooch

Subsequent actions

Subsequent action after recording: Returned to finder

Chronology

Broad period: ROMAN
Period from: ROMAN
Period to: ROMAN
Date from: Circa AD 70
Date to: Circa AD 100

Dimensions and weight

Quantity: 1
Length: 28.2 mm
Width: 15.8 mm
Thickness: 5.6 mm
Weight: 5.46 g

Discovery dates

Date(s) of discovery: Tuesday 24th February 2015 - Tuesday 24th February 2015

Personal details

This information is restricted for your access level.

Other reference numbers

Other reference: SCC receipt 16747

Materials and construction

Primary material: Copper alloy
Completeness: Incomplete

Spatial metadata

Region: South West (European Region)
County or Unitary authority: Somerset (County)
District: Taunton Deane (District)
To be known as: Milverton

Spatial coordinates

Grid reference source: From finder
Unmasked grid reference accurate to a 100 metre square.

Discovery metadata

Method of discovery: Metal detector
General landuse: Cultivated land

References cited

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

Similar objects

Find number: SOM-E074E4
Object type: BROOCH
Broadperiod: ROMAN
A Roman cast copper-alloy initial T-shaped brooch with hinged pin dating to c. AD 60-100. The brooch head has open-ended cylindrical wings, o…
Workflow: Awaiting validation

Find number: SOM-18302E
Object type: BROOCH
Broadperiod: ROMAN
A copper alloy developed T-shaped brooch of early Roman date. This brooch is incomplete in as much as it is missing its pin, and the lower pa…
Workflow: Awaiting validation

Find number: SOM-0310A1
Object type: BROOCH
Broadperiod: ROMAN
Roman cast copper-alloy initial T-shaped brooch with hinged pin dating to c. AD 60-100. The lower part of the bow, the foot, the catchplate a…
Workflow: Awaiting validation

Timeline of associated dates

Report a mistake

Audit data

Recording Institution: SOM
Created: 9 years ago
Updated: 8 years ago

Other formats: this page is available as qrcode json xml geojson pdf rdf representations.