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Description: | An unidentified object made of copper alloy, thought to be of Roman origin. Artefacts similar to this have in the past been typed as Roman nail cleaners, but recent findings have forced the specialists to reconsider the initial identification. The artefact comprises of a plate of copper alloy which has slanted and rounded shoulders, which taper down to an uneven broken end (maximum width of shoulders = 13.02mm). On the ?shoulders? there is a decorative knopped terminal, with two collars, an almost spherical knop and a small projection as the terminal proper. Both surfaces of the flat plate of copper alloy have been decorated with an engraved design, which appears to resemble deer/stag antlers. The engraved lines appear to have been filled with a light metal or some sort of enamel. The artefact is otherwise a dark brownish-green colour. The patina is smooth and in a good condition. Other examples of these types of artefact have all broken at the same point, they have all been decorated the same and have the same shape and form. Other examples have been found in Staffordshire, Suffolk and Shropshire. As well as the possibility of it being a nail cleaner, this artefact could equally be the end or the shank of a spoon or a Romano-British pendant. Or even the terminal of a legionary ?sporran?. The coincidence still lies with the fact that all of the artefacts appear to have been broken at the same point. | Format: | text/html | License: | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ | Publisher: | The Portable Antiquities Scheme | Rights holder: | The Portable Antiquities Scheme | Subjects: | archaeology | Temporal: | 50
400 | Source: | Portable Antiquities | Identifier: | http://www.finds.org.uk/database/artefac... | Language: | en-GB | Format: | text/html | Go to resource |
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