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Description: | Fragment of cast copper alloy platform-decorated or knobbed terret dating to the 1st century AD. This terret would have originally been a loop, subcircular in plan with three evenly spaced globular knobs, one to both side and one at the top. What remains is just under one half of the loop. The curved bar is subsquare in section. At what would have been the bottom of the terret is an integral disc or rove. To one side, set at the bottom of the disc, is a fraction of the wasted bar that would have been the point of fixing to the chariot or cart yoke. This has been truncated but would have run to meet a similar disc on the opposite side. The break edge is worn suggesting this damage occurred in antiquity. Extending from the other side of the disc is the main loop, which tapers as it extends around to the top of the object. This portion is particularly worn and abraded. The loop is truncated just before it would have met the topmost knob. The break edge is worn, suggesting this damage occurred in antiquity. Approximately half way along the fragment is the only surviving globular knob. The knob is decorated to the bottom edge with a shallow, grooved line that runs around its circumference. The top of the knob is decorated with a central square of white enamel, flanked by a red square of enamel to left and right and a blue square to top and bottom. The loop itself is also decorated to either side with enamel. Moving from the bottom to the truncation point, one side face has a thin line of blue and white enamel, a subcircular dot of red enamel and then a further subcircular recess that holds the remains of white enamel. The opposite side has a thin line of red enamel, a subrectangular dot of blue and white enamel, a subrectangular dot of red enamel and a further, empty subrectangular recess. Incised line borders appear to surround each cell of colour, though these are worn. The object is abraded, but much of the original surface survives with an even mid-green patina. Exposed surfaces are lighter green. The fragment has a diameter of 44.62mm across its curve. The wasted fixing bar is 11.22mm long and 3.62mm wide. The fragment is 6.56mm wide and 8.76mm thick at the widest point and tapers to 4.46mm wide and 5.3mm thick at the narrowest. The integral disc or rove is 12.08mm high, 10.6mm wide and 4.5mm thick. The knob is 12.14mm in diameter and 10.36mm high. The object weighs 19.60g. Knobbed terrets are well recorded in MacGregor, 1976, Early Celtic Art in Britain, Volume 1, page 46 (see also volume 2, 79, 80 for similar illustrated examples). MacGregor discusses that this form of terret ring may have a pre-Roman date, but that the majority are found in Roman contexts, a few dating to as late as the early 4th century. However, the peak of production appears to have been in the first half of the second century. Significantly, this terret fragment was found within twenty feet of a similar (not quite identical), though larger terret ring fragment (ESS-299441). It is extremely likely that they form part of a set of rings. Terret rings usually came in a group of five, four used as reign guides with a fifth larger one, of a still unknown use. The terret fragment recorded here is probably one of the four smaller rings. | Subjects: | Platform-decorated/knobbed Terret | Source: | Portable Antiquities | Creator: | McDonald, Caroline - Portable Antiquities Scheme | Identifier: | http://www.findsdatabase.org.uk/hms/pas_... | Language: | en-GB | Go to resource |
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