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Description: | An incomplete cast copper-alloy Roman strap end. This strap end is likely to be an unusual variant on the 'amphora' type, more elgonated and narrower than other examples but still retaining a basic 'amphora' shape, it measures 60mm in length and 12mm in width. The attachment end is incomplete as are the 'handles' of the 'amphora,' as their outer edges are missing due to old breaks. The rest of the strap end is worn and pitted due to corrosion, although no active corrosion can be seen now. The terminal end tapers to a small triangular knop. The front face is flat and the back face has slightly raised edges. The front face is decorated with a now worn border of small indented crescent shapes. Also where the body of the 'amphora' flares there is an incised animal and another smaller possible incised animal behind this one. The larger animal is probably lying down and is viewed side on, its head is facing towards the attachment end of the strap end. It has four legs bent as though lying down, a long body and a small head with a pointed oval shaped eye, long snout and pointed oval shaped drooping ear. Projecting from behind the ear there appears to be a pointed horn decorated with diagonal incisions. The body of the animal is decorated with five bands of transverse decoration each band consisting of about three short longitudinal grooves. There may have a single line representing a tail but this is no longer clear. This animal could be a gazelle or deer of some kind. In front of its head there are some more incisions but due to wear what is represented here is unclear. The second smaller animal, which is at the terminal end and less clear is facing towards the terminal end and again viewed side on. It appears to be a young animal lying or crouching down, it again has an oval shaped eye and a pointed oval shaped ear laid back against its head. The line of its back can be seen but not the lower half of its body, which has worn away. This could possibly be a young deer. This unusual 'amphora' type strap end is most likely to be late Roman in date and 'amphora' strap ends are often associated with military sites. A copper-alloy more complete two piece strap end of a similar elongated 'amphora' shape has been found at Baldock, it consists of two sheets held together by a single rivet at the attachment end, our example could also have had another sheet but it is now impossible to tell as the attachment end, where any trace of a rivet would be is missing. The Baldock example is decorated with a ring and dot motif and is dated to the late 4th century (Stead and Rigby 1986, 134-135, fig 58, no 359).
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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