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Description: | An incomplete cast copper alloy and silvered Roman knee brooch, dating from the 2nd-3rd century, between AD 150 ? 300 (length: 28mm; width at wings: 15.5mm; thickness/ depth: 17.5mm; weight: 9.4g). At the top of the brooch, the short semi-cylindrical wings (width: see above; diameter/ thickness: 7.5mm) has a hollow opening at the back for the spring and caps to either end of the wings to hold the partially intact iron axis bar in place. Below the head, the bow of the brooch is flat-sectioned, although it becomes thicker towards the bottom. The width of the bow also becomes narrow towards the bottom (width at top: 8.5mm; width at bottom: 4.5mm). Immediately below the wings, there is a single linear groove running across the width of the bow. In side profile, the bow is similar to a ?S? in shape with an highly arched bow commencing directly below the wings, which continues in length for 16mm before there is a slightly kink in the bow where is becomes more narrow and continues straight down for 7mm before the foot. The flat-sectioned foot and transverse catchplate (length: 13.5mm; width: 11.5mm; thickness: 2.5mm) are sub-trapezoidal in plan and are incomplete with the catchplate protruding from behind the brooch with only a small part of the indentation for the catch visible. At the back of the brooch, an incomplete cast copper alloy spring is still visible with five turns intact, which is held together by the iron axis bar, which is itself (as mentioned previously) held together by caps at either end of the wings. The cast copper alloy pin is now missing. There is extensive silvering visible on the front surface of the brooch, particularly on the wings and arched bow. Overall, the artefact is in a slightly worn but fair condition with a dark green patina. A similar example is illustrated in Bayley, J & Butcher, S, 2004, ?Roman Brooches in Britain: A Technological and Typological Study based on the Richborough Collection?, page 100-1, ref no 240. Knee brooches are described by Bayley & Butcher (page 179) as Late Bow Brooches and are best known from the forts of the German limes. The authors state that knee brooches were also found in forts in Britain but have a wider distribution; ?some types seem to be British products and to be decorative rather than utilitarian. They continue to comment that ?knee brooches are distinguished by the angular or S-shaped profile of the bow and can be sprung or hinged.? | 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: | 150
300 | Source: | Portable Antiquities | Identifier: | http://www.finds.org.uk/database/artefac... | Language: | en-GB | Format: | text/html | Go to resource |
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