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Description: | Cast copper alloy hinged enameled seal box lid of Roman date (100 - 300 AD). The lid is sub-rectangular (diamond shape) in plan and slightly domed (D shape) in cross section. The lower part of the seal box does not survive. The front face is highly decorated with an enameled design. The reverse of the lid is undecorated, on the top corner is a small integrally cast hinge. The hinge is formed from two rounded cast projections which have been pierced. Through the pierced holes is a short copper alloy axis bar. The hinge is slightly bent but there is no evidence of the pin or projecting flange from the lower lid. The seal box lid measures 23.8mm length, 19.3mm width, is 4.7mm thick (the lid is 2.1mm thick) and weighs 1.95 grams
The front face of the seal box lid is highly decorated. This decoration is both cast and also applied. The cast decoration consists of a series of projecting knops or rounded terminals. These project from the four coroners of the diamond shaped lid; however, only two of these survive. It is likely that there were two different designs of terminal knops present. On the left and the right hand corners are relatively simple rounded projections with a single domed pellet (only the left hand projection survives). The projections at the top and the bottom of the lid were more ornate. Only the terminal on the hinged (top) corner survives. This consists of a sub- rectangular wasted projection with a raised cast rounded terminal. The top of this rounded terminal has a small circular panel of enamel; the enamel is a white / transparent crystalline glass and seems to have been applied in a silvered recess. Small amounts of white metal can be seen (under magnification) in the recess where some of the enamel has been lost. The terminal at the base of the lid has been lost; however what survives would suggest a similar, possibly smaller, projection to that described at the top. The central area of the lid has a well executed and precise enameled design suggesting very high craftsmanship. The design consists of a central diamond shaped green enameled panel which is formed from four conjoined equilateral triangles; the overall affect is that of a central cross on a green enamel background. Each of the four enameled recesses seem to have a radial design over which the enamel has been applied. This may be an effect of the decay of the enamel but the design is very strong and might have been intentional. The central design is enclosed by a border of raised annulet settings each with an enameled surface. In total there are twenty settings arranged evenly with five settings per side. The enamel on these settings has decayed and the true colours have been lost. However, it is likely that the settings at each corner were green enamel, and the others were made up of alternate red and white panels (this speculation is suggested on the colour of enamel decay). These annulets are also enclosed this time with a cast raised rope like border at the very edge of the seal box lid. The front and the rear faces of the lid were also covered with a gilt surface. Fragments of this applied surface survive on the front face of the lid; however more is preserved on the reverse. This might suggest that both the interior and exterior of the seal box were gilt.
The seal box lid is a mid green brown colour with an even but very slightly abraded patina. There is no evidence for corrosion present. The damage to the projecting knops and the applied gilt surface suggests some movement in the ploughsoil but this has not been enough to distort the overall shape or appearance of the seal box lid. A similar diamond shaped seal box lid was found in the excavations at Wroxeter, this was discovered from the original floor surface of East Room A of the east portico of the forum. The first phase of the forum is dated between 122 and 160 AD (Atkinson: 1970 121-126 and 211 [14 A314). Although the form of this seal box lid is the same as this example the enameled design is different. Another similar seal box lid can be seen from the Excavations of the Roma Forts of the Classis Britannica at Dover, however this example comes from an unstratified deposit and is so not dated (Philip 1981 p161 no171). | 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: | 100
300 | Source: | Portable Antiquities | Creator: | Peter Reavill | Identifier: | http://www.finds.org.uk/database/artefac... | Language: | en-GB | Format: | text/html | Go to resource |
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