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Description: | An incomplete copper alloy Roman Trumpet brooch dating from 45 - 200AD. The bow of the brooch has an angular profile and an angular D shaped cross section. The bow tapers from a flared head to a turned foot knop. The brooch measures 50.5mm in length, 19.5mm width, is 25.6mm thick, and weighs 17.4 grams. The head of the brooch is oval in plan and tapers into the bow. The reverse of the head has a cast D shaped projecting bar which divides the head into two parts. This bar is complete and is irregular in shape being formed with a small projecting D shaped perforated loop. The spring and pin are missing. There is a slight projection / stump where the head loop should be. The reverse of the head is concave (dished). The bow of the brooch is D shaped in cross section. The head of the brooch tapers into the body which remains uniform in width. Halfway, along the length of the bow, are three sub-circular (D shaped) cast mouldings. Beneath the mouldings the lower part of the bow extends and tapers slightly. The bow terminates in a small moulded collar from which a turned foot projects. The catch plate is formed from a rib which extends from a point beneath the three mouldings and terminates above the foot knob. The edge of the catchplate is turned over to form a shallow U shaped pin rest. This rest has been damaged by abrasion and part of it is missing. The brooch is highly decorated with a number of intricate cast designs. The most elaborate are on the head of the brooch; here there are two groups of two pellets each which are divided by two diagonal cast ribs. These ribs extend from the head of the brooch onto the bow. The three mouldings are relatively plain with a series of cast horizontal incised lines dividing each moulding into two parts. The lower bow of the brooch, beneath the mouldings is decorated on the upper curved face. Here two sub-rectangular panels are present; each is filled by a zigzag pattern which is parallel to that on the opposite example. The foot knop has been turned and is decorated in a similar way to the three central mouldings. In addition the upper face of the foot is decorated with five evenly spaced cast lentoid / leaf shaped patterns. It is likely that the whole brooch was originally silvered. Large areas of this applied surface remain head, bow and on the reverse face of the brooch. The brooch is of a mid grey green colour with an abraded and slightly chipped patina which covers all surfaces. The brooch is also slightly twisted in profile. In places, mostly around the lower bow of the brooch and on the reverse are areas of an iron (?) corrosion product, this may suggest that the pin was made of iron. A number of similar brooches of this type can be seen in Richard Hattatt's Visual Catalogue of Ancient Brooches; page 326-328 a good parallel is figure 434 or 443. However both these examples are not identical to this artefact. All the brooches in this section are dated to the 1st and 2nd centuries AD.
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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