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Description: | An incomplete cast copper alloy Polden Hill brooch from the Roman period. Length: 18.8mm, width: 18.9mm; depth: 10.1mm. Mass: 3.8g. The brooch consists of the head, the upper portion of the bow, a crossbar formed by two semi-cylindrical horizontal wings with incomplete pierced end-caps, and the stub of a hook on the head. The wings would have held the axis bar, spring and pin, all of which are missing, and the external chord would have been secured by the hook. There is a moulded but heavily corroded "plate" on each side of the head adjoining the wings. The bow, which has a humped profile tapers and is broken at the bottom. There is an incomplete ridge on the reverse of the bow which is likely to be the remains of the catchplate, by which the pin would have been secured.On the front of one of the wings, there are two vertical grooves near to the terminal. The surface has been lost in this area on the other wing. There is an X-shaped incision on the underside of the head, behind the bow within two grooves. There is also a V-shaped design on the head, although this has been partially lost. Traces of a white metal coating remain on the brooch, particularly within the grooves and on the reverse. The brooch has a well developed smooth light green patina in parts, but some portions are heavily pitted. Bayley and Butcher (ibid. p159) explain that the Polden Hill type of brooch, "...exhibits a distinctive method of attaching the spring: it is carried in a semi-cylindrical crossbar which has closed ends to secure the axial rod, while the chord is held by a hook or crest on the head." In her "Roman Brooch Timeline", Worrell (2007) dates Polden Hill brooches to AD75-175. Bayley and Butcher (ibid. p 160) state that the main development of this type appears to have taken place in the West Midlands and that more recent finds have confirmed a concentration in this region.
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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