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Description: | An early-medieval copper-alloy strap end, in plan an elongated oval with moulded terminal edges. In profile the body of the strap end is straight and flat, but one terminal is split forming a slender V shape. In this 'V' there is an incomplete iron rivet remaining in one of the two corner rivet holes in the upper plate. The lower plate also has two matching rivet holes in the lower plate. The upper surface of the strap end is decorated. The opposite terminal to the rivet holes has a moulded animal head, which consists of two transverse crescents forming a sub-oval representing eyes or ears. Below which there is an incised 'V' with a triangle in the centre. This portion of the strap end represents the nose and is narrowed and rounded. The body of the strap end has relief decoration consisting of a Trewhiddle style creature. The edges of the body are bordered with fine transverse grooves and the terminal with the rivet holes there is further decoration in the form of a triangle which is divided into three blocks. The Trewhiddle creature and nose of the terminal is decorated with inlay. The reverse is undecorated but does have unusual corrosion products and markings. The markings appear to be obliquely angled incised marks which are then covered by a white metal alloy product around which there is iron staining and a dark grey product. One explanation for this is that the object was re-used as a mount and was soldered on to another object. Equally when the strap end was deposited it lay against another object that that objects corrosion products adhered itself to the strap end. Otherwise the surface of the strap end has a well developed mid blue/green patina. In length it is 39.2mm, 11.98mm wide and 4.12mm thick where the plates divide. It weighs 4g.The strap end can be classified as a Thomas's Class A: Type 1: Trewhiddle style strap end which dates to the 9th century, but also probably occur in the late 8th and 10th centuries (Thomas, G. 2003 'Late Anglo-Saxon and Viking-Age Strap Ends 750-1100: Part I' Finds Research Group AD 700-1700 Datasheet 32).
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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