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Description: | A cast copper-alloy staff terminal of early medieval to medieval date. The terminal is circular in form, rectangular in section, hollow and with a short integrally cast rectangular socket projecting from its base. It has openwork decoration on both sides consisting of six evenly spaced sub-oval perforations arranged around a central projecting knop. On both sides between and around these perforations there are punched ring and dot motifs. When viewed under a microscope very faint traces of possible gilding survive on both faces. The socket has an oval apeture. The top of the terminal has four sub-oval perforations, whilst each side has a sub-rectangular perforation. There is also a sub-circular perforation on each side of the socket. The object measures 51.69 mm long, 49.62 mm wide, 15.3 mm thick and weighs 45.3 grams.A number of very similar objects are recorded on the PAS database, most of which are almost identical in form to this example, but with somewhat differing decoration (see for example SF-03EDE7, LIN-D03FB1, BH-F48C72, NMS-F28FF6, BUC-69D596 and SOMDOR-AF3CC7). These objects were initially identified as sword pommels in the London Museum catalogue (LMMC: fig. 2 no. 2). More recently, however, they have been interpreted as terminals for ecclesiastical short staffs (Bailey, 1994: 171-175). Based upon comparison with other examples an 11th to 12th century date seems likely for the object.
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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