|
Date: |
|
Description: | An incomplete cast copper alloy and silvered Roman Hod Hill brooch, dating to the 1st century, between AD 43 ? 100 (length: 53.5mm; width at wings: 24mm; thickness/ depth: 16mm; weight: 6.8g). A large Hod Hill brooch and classified as a Group ?a?: ?the upper bow a distinct panel with side wings, often with lugs?, as discussed by Bayley & Butcher (2004; page 70) (see bibliographical details below). At the top of the brooch, the incomplete bow/ head has been rolled back to form a cylindrical narrow tube (diameter: 3mm) (only half of this feature survives), which would have housed a probable iron axis bar and hinge mechanism in between a gap no longer visible. In side profile, the bow is flat and gently arched with a tapering and narrow ?neck? (length: 6mm) before expanding outwards to form a sub-rectangular panel/ platform (length: 16mm; width: 13mm; thickness: 2mm) with wings/ lugs to either side at the bottom of this feature on the two lower corners. The panel/ platform has moulded decoration on the front comprising of one ridge and groove across the width of the feature at the top and two plain rectangular raised ribs running lengthwise (length: 14mm) with another rib in between and another to each side at the outside edge, all three of which have small slanted incised lines as well as some cross-hatching as decoration. The wings/ lugs (length: 5.5mm; width: 5mm; thickness: 1.5mm) to either side are flat in side-section with slightly rounded ends and each with a single linear ridge halfway along. Underneath this panel, the bow slightly arches in the opposite decoration, giving the side-profile of the brooch an ?S? shape. There is extensive moulding on this lower part of the bow (length, including foot: 32.5mm), but the decoration now stretches across the bow?s width. There are nine ridges and marginal grooves running across the bow, one after the other before reaching the foot. These ridges and grooves are irregularly placed with irregular widths, but all ridges apart from two towards the top of these part of the bow and two at the bottom are decorated with irregular placed and sized small straight incised lines, appearing lengthwise. The foot at the bottom is flat and sub-rectangular in plan. The back of the brooch is flat and undecorated. As previously mentioned, only half of the cylindrical tube remains, and therefore, the hinge mechanism and pin are now completely missing. The catchplate (length: 27mm; width: 7mm; thickness: 3mm), however, is complete and triangular in side view, and curls round to one side in order to hold the pin in place when complete and fastened to an item of clothing. There is extensive silvering on the front of the brooch only, particularly on the wings/ lugs and in between the moulded decoration on the lower section of the bow. Overall, the artefact is in a slightly worn but good condition with a dark green patina. Similar examples of Group ?a? Hod Hill brooches are illustrated in Bayley, J & Butcher, S, 2004, ?Roman Brooches in Britain: A Technological and Typological Study based on the Richborough Collection?, pages 70-72, particularly fig 53. Bayley & Butcher state (pages 152-3) that the ?general group known as Hod Hill in Britain is more numerous on the continent and has been exhaustively classified on the basis of the large collections available there?.even so the British examples do not all finds close parallels in those catalogues. This may be simply because of the very great diversity in manufacture or because some were being made in Britain?.There is little doubt that the Hod Hill group reached Britain in the conquest period?.where numerous examples were found at Hod Hill itself (a Dorset hillfort) and in Claudian-Neronian contexts at Camulodunum (Colchester).? | 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: | 43
100 | Source: | Portable Antiquities | Identifier: | http://www.finds.org.uk/database/artefac... | Language: | en-GB | Format: | text/html | Go to resource |
|
More Like this...
-
brooch
An incomplete cast copper alloy…
-
BROOCH
An incomplete cast copper alloy…
-
-
-
-
BROOCH
An incomplete cast copper alloy…
-
BROOCH
An incomplete cast copper alloy…
-
brooch
An incomplete cast copper alloy…
-
brooch
A slightly incomplete cast copper…
-
BROOCH
A slightly incomplete cast copper…
|