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BROOCH
Unique ID: WILT-308FE7
Object type certainty: Certain
Workflow
status: Awaiting validation 
A copper alloy Roman enamelled plate, in the form of a horse-and-rider, probably dating to c. AD 250-410. The brooch survives largely complete, missing only its pin. The brooch as cast into the form of a horse and rider, with incised ridges adding further detail to the figure's hair, and the horse' mane and tail and punched circles depicting the eyes. The horse's flank and the man's side are decorated with recessed cells, retaining traces of both red and blue enamel. Traces of a white metal coating survive towards the rear of the horse. The catch plate and a perforated lug both project from the reverse of the plate, on a plane parallel to its length.
The brooch measures 23mm in height, 31.8mm in length, 1.5mm in thickness and weighs 3.25 grams.
Examples presented by Bayley and Butcher (2004: 175-176) broadly date horse-and-rider brooches to the late third century into the early fifth, and suggest that this brooch type has a strong religious connection due to large quantities discovered at temple sites. It has also been suggested that these brooches may depict a Romano-Celtic rider god, perhaps a combination of Mars and a native deity, and may have been purchased from shrines as the Roman equivalent of medieval pilgrim badges (Johns 1996: 173-174). Mackreth (2011: plate 124, no. 7921) publishes a similar example.
Class:
Plate
Sub class: Zoomorphic, horse and rider
Subsequent actions
Subsequent action after recording: Returned to finder
Chronology
Broad period: ROMAN
Period from: ROMAN
Period to: ROMAN
Date from: Circa AD 250
Date to: Circa AD 410
Dimensions and weight
Quantity: 1
Height: 23 mm
Width: 31.8 mm
Weight: 3.25 g
Discovery dates
Date(s) of discovery: Wednesday 25th April 2018 - Wednesday 25th April 2018
Personal details
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Other reference numbers
Other reference: SSWM 5341
Materials and construction
Primary material: Copper alloy
Secondary material: Enamel
Manufacture method: Cast
Decoration style: Zoomorphic
Completeness: Incomplete
Spatial metadata
Region: South East (European Region)County or Unitary authority: Hampshire (County)
District: Test Valley (District)
To be known as: Broughton
Spatial coordinates
Grid reference source: From finder
Unmasked grid reference accurate to a 100 metre square.
References cited
No references cited so far.
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Timeline of associated dates
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