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Description: | The suspension loop and upper portion of a copper-alloy Roman nailcleaner. The circular suspension loop is located on a stem which is decorated with a groove and two ridges in its centre. The stem rises 19.4 mm from the top of the blade of the implement. The loop is on the same plane as the blade. 14.2 mm of the blade survive before a break. The top of the blade is rounded and tapers from 13.8 mm 6.8 mm at the break. It is unclear how long the blade would have orignally been. The remains of the blade are decorated with three ring and dot motifs, two parallel and one below and in the centre of the others. This type of nailcleaner appears to belong to the late 4th century, largely because of the plane of the suspension loop (which tend to be situated at a right angle to the plane of the blade in earlier examples) and because it does not fit into any of the earlier typologies. Indeed, Crummy (2001, 6) has commented on how the later 4th century types are characterised by individuality in decoration rather than by consistency. Ring and dot decoration are also a common decorative feature on these late Roman nail cleaners (Crummy 2001, 6).
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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