WMID-D93548: Early Medieval button brooch (front and obverse)

Rights Holder: Birmingham Museums Trust
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BROOCH

Unique ID: WMID-D93548

Object type certainty: Certain
Workflow status: Awaiting validation Find awaiting validation

An Early Medieval copper-alloy circular button brooch dating to circa AD 450-550. The brooch is missing its pin.

The brooch is circular in form with a flaring rim. The brooch has a central face, possibly helmeted, with an arch above the eyes and a long nose and circular eyes. The brooch has a hinge and catchplate on the reverse. No traces of gilding are visible.

Parallels recorded on the Pas database include (BERK-572326) and (BERK-A2C187) discovered in Oxfordshire.

Most button brooches have been discovered in Southern Britain, only a small number have been recorded from elsewhere. The most northerly appears to be Yorkshire with a large concentration coming from Kent, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.

Note: The dimensions of this brooch were originally recorded as 5.1 mm in diameter, 4.6 mm in thickness and 3.2g in weight. This diameter seems unlikely and from the photograph it seems more like 18-19mm in diameter, so the 'diameter' field below has accordingly been changed.

Class: button

Subsequent actions

Subsequent action after recording: Returned to finder

Chronology

Broad period: EARLY MEDIEVAL
Subperiod from: Early
Period from: EARLY MEDIEVAL
Subperiod to: Early
Period to: EARLY MEDIEVAL
Ascribed Culture: Anglo-Saxon style
Date from: Circa AD 450
Date to: Circa AD 550

Dimensions and weight

Quantity: 1
Thickness: 4.6 mm
Weight: 3.2 g
Diameter: 19 mm

Personal details

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Materials and construction

Primary material: Copper alloy
Completeness: Incomplete

Spatial metadata

Region: South East (European Region)
County or Unitary authority: Oxfordshire (County)
District: South Oxfordshire (District)
Parish or ward: Culham (Civil Parish)

Spatial coordinates

4 Figure: SU5196
Four figure Latitude: 51.66047728
Four figure longitude: -1.26408709
1:25K map: SU5196
1:10K map: SU59NW
Grid reference source: Centred on field
Unmasked grid reference accurate to a 100 metre square.

References cited

No references cited so far.

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Timeline of associated dates

Audit data

Recording Institution: WMID
Created: 6 years ago
Updated: 5 years ago

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