Rights Holder: The Portable Antiquities Scheme
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Unique ID: WMID-C79653
Object type certainty: Certain
Workflow
status: Published
An incomplete copper alloy, Roman hinge-headed brooch, dating to circa AD 43-200.
The brooch is missing the right hand tubular wing, the pin and possibly the original enamel decoration. The now missing pin would have been hinged from the axis bar which is held within the remaining left hand transverse cylinder which is broadly circular in cross-section. The cylinder is attached to a broadly rectangular in cross section neck which then attaches at a 90 degree angle to the lozenge shaped plate. The lozenge plate is flat and has a flat outer rim. The plate has then been dived in to four quarters or cells. These cells are rectangular and slightly recessed. Presumably these cells would originally have been filled with enamel, possibly of varying colours which is now missing.
Below the lozenge plate is a transverse collar which is broadly lentoid in plan with the outer edges projecting slightly further than the zoomorphic terminal that proceeds. The zoomorphic foot terminal and catchplate is broadly 'D' shaped in profile. The terminal broadens from the collar and terminates with a trefoil knop to represent the eyes and a snout. The body of the terminal is decorated with a series of scallop shapes overlapping in light relief to presumably represent feathers. There are two eyes in the form of circular impressions with a pellet in the centre. The catch-plate survives at the reverse of the foot terminal and runs vertically along its entire length. The catch-plate is sub-triangular in profile and is missing the return that would have held the pin in place. The reverse of the lozenge plate is undecorated. The brooch has a well-developed dark grey coloured patina across all surfaces. The surfaces appear shiny and smooth. Parallels on the database have been discovered in Cambridgeshire (CAM-1A116A) and Wiltshire (WILT-E6B2E4). These have been suggested as dating to the first to second century AD.
The brooch measures 39.36 mm in length, 19.56 mm in width, 2.06mm in thickness and weighs 5.1 g.
Class: Hinge headed enamelled
Subsequent action after recording: Returned to finder
Broad period: ROMAN
Period from: ROMAN
Period to: ROMAN
Date from: Exactly AD 43
Date to: Circa AD 200
Quantity: 1
Length: 39.36 mm
Width: 19.56 mm
Thickness: 2.06 mm
Weight: 5.1 g
Date(s) of discovery: Saturday 10th October 2015 - Saturday 10th October 2015
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4 Figure: SP2902
Four figure Latitude: 51.71598429
Four figure longitude: -1.58163349
1:25K map: SP2902
1:10K map: SP20SE
Grid reference source: From finder
Unmasked grid reference accurate to a 1 metre square.
No references cited so far.