BROOCH

An incomplete copper alloy trumpet style brooch, of Roman date (75 to 175 AD).

Approximately 25% of the brooch is present, with the bow, foot and catch plate present. The rest is missing, presumed lost in antiquity.

The bow of the brooch is D shaped in cross section. At the top of the bow fragment is an arcanthus style moulding, with a central collar and three equally spaced rectangular knops above and below. Beneath the moulding, the lower part of the bow extends and tapers slightly. The bow terminates in a flat circular foot knop, which is incomplete, but has a sub circular collar above it. The catch plate starts beneath the moulding on the back of the brooch and is sub triangular in shape. It is incomplete, missing the external edge, which formed the pin rest.

The brooch measures 48.1 mm in length, 8.5 mm wide and 9.5 mm thick. It weighs 6.0 g.

The brooch is a mid to dark green colour, with an even surface patina.

Trumpet style brooches typically date from 75 to 175 AD. Hattatt (2000, p326, fig 185) published several similar examples, in particular #1529 from Castleford, West Yorkshire and #948 from Wall, Staffordshire. Similar brooches have been recorded on the PAS database as WMID-A3750D, WMID-0656C1 & WMID-982053.

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