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Description: | An incomplete cast copper-alloy tumbler lock slide key of Roman date. The handle, terminal and part of the iron bit are preserved, the remainder of the key now missing due to old breaks. The handle is rectangular in form and square in section, tapering towards a small loop at the top to produce an almost pyramidal appearance. The loop is lozenge shaped with a central circular aperture and a small projecting ridge along the top that has a v-shaped notch at its centre when viewed in profile. Beneath the loop tha handle has a collar formed from a broad transverse groove with smaller incised grooves above and below. A small, single incised transverse groove is also visible at the base of the handle, which is otherwise undecorated. Projecting from the underside of the handle are the remains of an iron bit, which was probably square in section but is heavily corroded and now mostly missing due to old breaks. This key handle measures 38.58mm in length, 11.91mm in width, 10.58mm in thickness, and weighs 19.67g. Similar, but complete, slide keys are noted at Roman Colchester (Crummy, 1983: nos. 4150-4154) and on the PAS database (e.g. BH-3F02A2, SUSS-218BC2 or ESS-634055). These examples differ in that they tend to be formed entirely from copper-alloy, although Crummy does note the presence of an iron key not illustrated int eh catalogue (Crummy, 1982: no. 4152). This current example is Roman in date, c.43-410 AD.
Original Image | Publisher: | http://finds.org.uk | Source: | Portable Antiquities | Identifier: | http://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/r... | Go to resource |
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