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Description: | A complete copper-alloy Late Iron Age/Roman cosmetic mortar. This mortar is small and chunky and in good condition. The bow is crescent shaped with a central longitudinal groove, it measures 47mm in length, 11mm in width and 8mm in thickness at its thickest point. The groove measures 3mm in depth at its deepest central point. This mortar has an integral end loop. This is formed by curving one end of the bow round and down and then soldering its flattened terminal to the underside of the bow. The loop measures 10.5mm in external diameter and 5mm in internal diameter. Cosmetic mortars have been studied by Ralph Jackson of the British Museum and are part of a two part set and were used with a pestle to grind small quantities of powder, probably cosmetics. They were in use from the late Iron Age through to the end of the Roman period (CHEck, although few come from dated contexts. They are unique to Britain, with only one example known from elsewhere in north-west Europe; an example from Northern France. They are believed to have an association with fertility due to their crescent shape and the twinning of male and female animal heads, usually cows and bulls, on some examples.
Original Image | Publisher: | http://finds.org.uk | Source: | Portable Antiquities | Identifier: | http://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/r... | Go to resource |
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