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Description: | a copper alloy cosmetic mortar of late Iron Age or Roman date. It has a crescent shaped bow and an end loop. It measures 73.27mm in length, 9.46mm in thickness and 11.74mm in width across the centre of the bow. The bow has a central longitudinal groove about 3mm in depth which has a reddish brown deposit, possibly iron, within it. The outer surfaces are smooth and in good condition except for a few green corrosion patches. The end loop is extended to give a bird's head and beak appearance. The other terminal end is squared off, to 6mm wide, with a narrow raised line running from the two corners, and joining to form a single line along the centre of the underside of the bow. The loop measures 17.15mm in external diameter, and 9.45mm internal diameter. Cosmetic mortars are unique to late Iron Age and Roman Britain. They were used with a pestle to grind powders for cosmetic use. They have an association with fertility, some having male and female animal head terminals. This mortar weighs 26g. A few similar cosmetic grinders have been found in Suffolk, in particular an example from Willisham, WLS SF-0FA451. | 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: | 300
410 | Source: | Portable Antiquities | Creator: | Jane Carr | Identifier: | http://www.finds.org.uk/database/artefac... | Language: | en-GB | Format: | text/html | Go to resource |
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