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Description: | Cast copper alloy nail cleaner of Crummy class 3 broadly dated to the Roman period: mid-late 3rd century AD. The nail cleaner is broadly sub-rectangular in plan and cross section. It tapers in thickness from head to base and in width it similarly tapers but then expands. At the head of the nail cleaner is an irregular cast loop; the upper inner edge of the loop is worn suggesting that it has been suspended. The inner diameter of the loop is 3.4mm. From the loop the nail cleaner expands and is broadly circular in cross section. Beneath the loop are two cast raised bands separated deep V shaped turned recesses. The bands are decorated with simple incised cross-hachures / hatching and are realised in three dimensions. The decoration is similar and gives the impression of being two beads on the top of the nail cleaner. Beneath the final recess / band the body of the nail cleaner tapers and expands the cross section at this point is sub-rectangular. The lower edge / pointed terminal, is split into two parts by a V shaped notch and ridge, this has been abraded in the soil.
The nail cleanere measures 58.7mm length, is 6.3mm wide, 6.0mm thick and weighs 5.2 grams
The nail cleaner is a mid-dark green colour with an even but slightly abraded patina. There is some evidence of a light green corrosion product present but this is relatively inactive. This nail cleaner is similar (but more elegantly realised) to an example from Colchester (Crummy page 58, ref 1875) which has been dated to the late 3rd century and described as having bead and reel moulding, a better parallel for the decorative style can be seen on a toilet implement of unknown function (p61-62: ref 1940) dated 60-125 AD. The Colchester examples have been placed within a typology and this type is described as being specifically Type 3. | Source: | Portable Antiquities | Creator: | Reavill, Peter - Portable Antiquities Scheme | Identifier: | http://www.findsdatabase.org.uk/hms/pas_... | Language: | en-GB | Go to resource |
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