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Description: | A cast copper alloy and silver plated flat disc brooch with remains of red and yellow enamel, and without peripheral lugs(diameter: 24mm; thickness: 0.9mm; weight: 6.61g). The brooch is decorated on one side only with a 'sunburst' pattern. In the centre, there is a slightly indented circular area (diameter: 5.5mm) surrounded by a raised circular border (width: 2.8mm). The central indentation may have been filled with enamel or other decoration as there is a orange/ brown colouration. Outside the circular border, there are a series of sixteen dots with a possible sixteen pointed star-shaped floreate pattern radiatting towards the outer edge of the brooch. There are remains of red enamel on the circular border as well as the areas beyond which lead up to and sometimes outside the ring of dots. There is also slgiht remains or yellow enamel in between the star pattern circulating the brooch completely. Therefore, red enamel seems to appear in the inner zones of the decoration while yellow enamel appears in the outer areas. There are only remains of silver plating on the very outside edge of the decorated face as well as partly continuing round to the back of the brooch. On the back of the brooch, there are remains of a sprung pin with three turns held into place between two lugs with a probable copper axis bar running through the spring. An additional turn of the spring is still attached but hangs below the main spring mechanism. Part of the catch plate remains and protrudes out by 2.5mm. the back of the brooch is plain and undecorated. The artefact is in a worn but fair condition with the star pattern difficult to see in places. There are also two small areas of possible bronze disease on the decorated front of the brooch. The back of the brooch has a grey/ black patina.Similar examples have been found near Ipswich , Suffolk (Hattatt, 1982, page 138-9, fig 58, Ref no 119; at Colchester, Essex (Hattatt, 1985, page 140 & 143, fig 60, Ref no 515; ana another found 'in Britain' (Hattatt, 1987, page 169 & 171, fig 55, Ref no 1035). Additionally, an example was excavated from an archaeological context at Richborough, Kent and has been dated from AD 140-180. Other examples include those found at Newstead, Scotland and St. Albans.These disc brooches are among are the earliest plate brooches, dated from the 1st-late 2nd century AD, and it is later types that start to develop knobs around the perimeter and as a centre-piece. Even later examples become domed, stepped, dished or perforated. Many disc brooches are decorated with a derivation of the 'sunburst' pattern, which was introduced from Gaul. Hattatt suggests that Mithraism with its cult of the sun - the sol invictus - was largely responsible for the popularity of the design (Hattatt, 1982, pages 137-8).
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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