|
Date: |
|
Description: | A seemingly complete copper-alloy key of Romano-British date. This key would have been for use in a tumbler lock. The bow is a semi-circular shape that measures 17.02mm wide and 3.48mm thick with a mushroom-shaped apperture formed by a notch being present in the horizontal bottom edge. Below the bow is an inverted trapezium of sub-rectangular cross-section, flat on one surface and decorated by a moulded horizontal collar at the top and bottom of this zone on the opposite surface. These collars project past the edges of the trapezium. The upper collar, closest to the bow, measures 12.54mm transversely and is 2.40mm thick. The lower collar measures 9.15mm transversely and is 2.63mm thick. The trapezium between the collars has a length of 6.52mm, is 9.16mm wide tapering to 8.39mm next to the lower collar. This trapezium does not have a true rectangular cross-section as one side is thicker than the other. When the key is viewed with the bit pointing forwards the left side of the trapezium is 3.10mm thick and the right side has a thickness of 4.09mm. Below the second collar the shank has a hollow circular section of 4.99mm external diameter and is 9.41mm in length. The diameter of the circular hollow is 2.68mm. The rectangular shaped bit is set at 90 degrees to the plane of the bow and trapezium part of the shank, projecting out on the same side as the smooth undecorated edge of the trapezium. The bit has a rectangular cross-section and measures 10.32mm in length, 7.03mm tapering to 6.00mm in width and 2.73mm tapering to 2.24mm in thickness. A slight notch is present in the lower edge of the bit close to the shank. On both sides of the bit, along the edge parallel to the shank, are two 'V' shaped grooves. This edge is straight but worn and as a result it is not possible to determine whether three teeth originally projected from the bit separated by the two grooves. This key weighs 7.50g and has a total length of 33.06mm. A similar key is described in PAS record NMS-F361A7 as being "a very small example" however the example described here is shorter than that described in record NMS-F361A7.See PAS record NMS-F361A7, BH-1CB5C3, NARC-B530A3, WILT-F4DBE8, WILT-7144B6.A slightly similar example can be seen in Blag, T., Plouviez, J. & Tester, A. 2004, EAA no.106, p.136-137, fig.95, no.303 but this differs in that it has a projecting knop on the outer edge of the bow and that only the handle is formed of copper-alloy and the, now missing, key was formed of iron.
Original Image | Publisher: | http://finds.org.uk | Source: | Portable Antiquities | Identifier: | http://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/r... | Go to resource |
|
More Like this...
-
-
-
KEY (LOCKING)
An incomplete Later Early-Medieval (Anglo-Saxon/Anglo-Scandinavian)…
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
|