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Description: | Cast copper alloy fragment from either a nail cleaner or possibly the terminal from a strap end of Roman period date possibly mid - late 1st or 2nd century AD. If this example is a nail cleaner then it fits best within Crummy class 2a. The fragment has been broken across the body and this break is both worn and patinated suggesting it is relatively old. The knop at the top of the fragment is also incomplete but this break is more recent; if this is a nail cleaner then it is here that the loop would have been - it is impossible to tell whether the loop would have been in the same plane as the blade. The fragment is irregular in plan and cross section. The upper part is formed from an abraded knop which tapers and expands along it length before expanding to form a small shoulder. This knop is sub-rectangular in cross section. Below the shoulders the fragment expands to form a sub-rectangular blade which tapers from its widest point gently. It is below the widest point that the fragment is broken. It should also be noted that the fragment tapers in thickness as well as width. If the artefact were a nail cleaner then it is likely it would have tapered to a notched base. The decoration present on the loop is turned in nature but relatively compact and unobtrusive. The fragment measures 20.9mm length, 13.5mm width and is 5.4mm thick, and weighs 3.82 grams. The fragment is a mid-dark green colour with an even but slightly abraded patina. Similar shaped nail cleaners can be seen in the catalogue from Colchester (Crummy page 58, ref 1872-74) which has been dated to the mid 1st - 2nd century AD. The Colchester examples have been placed within a typology and this type is described as being specifically Type 2a.
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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