SCULPTURE

A carved stone head, often loosely referred to as a 'Celtic' head. 'Celtic' heads are found in some numbers in Britain, the great majority of which, including this one, are un-dateable. The head is carved from sandstone.

The head has an elongated oval flat face with recessed lentoid eyes. The nose is long and narrow with flared nostrils. The raised full lips are lentoid and slightly downturned with a central horizontal groove in the centre. A curved groove separates the face from the head of the object where the hairline would be. The rear of the head slopes downwards before rounding out. There is no visible decoration on the rear of the head. The right hand ear (viewed when facing the object) is well defined and rounded. The left hand ear (viewed when facing the object) is worn. The left hand side of the object was in an exposed position when discovery which explains the difference in wear and weathering on each side. The neck is sub-oval in cross section and measures 120 mm in width. It is slightly curved in profile.

Dimensions: 400mm in height, 210mm in width, 15000g.

Stone heads such as this are likely to date to all periods, including comparatively recent times, and though some are certainly ancient pretty well the only ones capable of proof as such are those found in a secure dated context - stylistic criteria cannot be applied, (pers. comm. Dr. Ralph Jackson, Senior Curator, Romano-British Collections Department of Prehistory and Europe British Museum London).

In Wales, these have been published as enigmatic short articles, largely undated and unstratified. Richard Brewer has included a catalogue with images in his Corpus Signorum Imperii Romani, Great Britain Vol I, Fasc. 5: Wales 1986 (OUP), though most are interpreted by him as not Roman, (pers. comm. Adam Gwilt, Principal Curator: Prehistory, Amgueddfa Cymru - National Museum Wales).