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KNIFE
Unique ID: SF-738C4B
Object type certainty: Certain
Workflow
status: Awaiting validation 
A fragment of a copper-alloy Roman knife handle, dating to AD 150-400. The fragment depicts a full body stylised hare and belongs to the "hound and hare" Type. The head of the hare bears the details of the eyes and long ears. The rear paws of the animal are broken as well as the back of it, which should have had hare's tail and the muzzle of the hound chasing. The surfaces are pitted and worn.
This form of knife handle seems relatively popular in the Roman period and the representation of the hunt is a common theme on a variety of other forms of Roman material culture, particularly in the 4th century. A similar published example is provided in Richborough Report 4 (Bushe-Fox 1949, Plate XXXVI, No. 118) and another example recorded from the Portable Antiquities Scheme from Upham, Hampshire (HAMP-3526; Worrell 2002, 91, Fig. 4). There are a number of knife handles of this type currently recorded on the PAS database, including more complete examples: cf. BUC-676896; NARC-03BF62; CAM-9E74C2; NMS-4BA381; NMS-606F33; SF-9E68A3; SUR-E90A93.
Length: 37.76 mm
Width: 15.00 mm
Thickness: 5.13 mm
Weight: 9.70 g
Subsequent actions
Subsequent action after recording: Returned to finder
Chronology
Broad period: ROMAN
Period from: ROMAN
Period to: ROMAN
Date from: Circa AD 150
Date to: Circa AD 400
Dimensions and weight
Quantity: 1
Length: 37.76 mm
Width: 15 mm
Thickness: 5.13 mm
Weight: 9.7 g
Discovery dates
Date(s) of discovery: Thursday 20th September 2018
Personal details
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Materials and construction
Primary material: Copper alloy
Manufacture method: Cast
Completeness: Fragment
Spatial metadata
Region: Eastern (European Region)County or Unitary authority: Suffolk (County)
District: Mid Suffolk (District)
To be known as: Yaxley
Spatial coordinates
Grid reference source: GPS (from the finder)
Unmasked grid reference accurate to a 1 metre square.
References cited
No references cited so far.
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Timeline of associated dates
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