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Description: | An incomplete and misshapen cast copper alloy early P-shape brooch, a prototype of the Rosette type. Late Iron Age (30 BC - AD 30). Length: 29.3mm; width: 17.5mm. Weight: 6.33g.The weight includes a small amount of soil between the disc and the leg.The brooch is of a one-piece construction with the spring of the Colchester type. The small sub-rectangular wings, 14.3mm in width, afford limited protection and stability for the laterally coiled spring. The spring originally consisted of eight coils. However, only four of the coils survive. At the outer end the spring turns forwards and sideways abruptly to form an external chord, half of which survives. It is secured by a forward projecting chord-hook at the head of the brooch. The end of the hook is splayed and flattened against the upper part of the bow. Both the spring and chord are circular in cross-section and have a diameter of about 1.6mm. The pin is missing.The bow, now misshapen, would have been strongly arched. It has parallel sides and is 5.4mm in width and a thickness, throughout it length, of 1.2mm. Decoration on the front of the bow consists of a median (vertical) sinuous line with a small circular punch mark within each of the cusps formed by the sinuosity. This median feature is flanked on either side by a slightly raised vertical panel. Due to corrosion and damage it unclear whether these panels were also decorated. Each outer edge of the bow is decorated with punch marks throughout their lengths. These punch marks appear to create a zigzag design. However, due to corrosion, the design cannot be accurately described. The characteristic disc at the base of the bow would have originally been near vertical. Only part of the disc survives and its edges are in the form of old ragged breaks. The disc may have been decorated although none is visible.A small portion of the parallel sided leg is present and has a width of 4.9mm. It has a raised median (vertical) rib which has a width of about 1.1mm. The leg may have been decorated with tooling although none is now visible. The brooch is severely corroded and is in poor condition. Mid-way along the length of the bow there is an oblique fracture. Half of the spring (and also the pin), part of the disc, most of the foot and also the catch-plate are missing due to old breaks. The catch-plate would probably have extended almost the whole length of the leg and may have been perforated. A fragmentary patina is dark grey.A similar brooch found near Bradwell, Norfolk has been described an illustrated by Richard Hattatt (Hattatt 1989, 31, fig. 15, ref. 1467). Hattatt suggests that these early brooches arrived in Britain from Gaul prior to the Claudian invasion.Another similar brooch has been recorded from Higham Ferrers Parish, Northamptonshire. See Portable Antiquities Scheme find: NARC-6E9FF1.
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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