BROOCH

A Roman copper-alloy Colchester derivative Polden Hill (flat wing ends type, West Midlands) brooch, probably dating from late 1st to early 2nd century AD. The wings comprise a half-cylinder, open on the underside but with capped ends. The spring, which is intact, consists of ten coils and an external chord. A central axis bar is contained within the spring coils, passing through a perforated central lug, its ends sitting in perforations in the aforementioned end-caps. The external chord is held in place by a second perforated lug, located above that for the axis bar. The bow arches above the level of the wings, with a step on either side of its top end. It is of oval cross section and gradually tapers towards the bottom, where there is a moulded footknob and, on the underside, an openwork catchplate with two interlocking perforations and a rolled outer side. The lower end of the pin is missing.

Length: 56.5mm; width: 29.9mm; depth: 20.7mm. Weight: 18.91g.

The general form of this brooch, with its high-arching bow, is typical of mid 1st century Dolphin brooches; however, the presence of perforated central lugs is unusual, being a typical feature of the Colchester-derivative. In addition, the perforated end caps on the wings, and the presence of a step, on the back of the head, are typical features of the Polden Hill brooch rather than the Dolphin.