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Date: |
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Description: | Near complete but heavily corroded cast copper-alloy probable strap fitting of later Early Medieval, Anglo-Scandinavian date. The fitting consists of an openwork domed mount which is semi-circular in profile and a rounded lozenge/sub-oval in plan. The design consists of a raised cross-shaped (cruciform) boss which is comprised of a narrow lozenge/sub-oval rim linking the broader four arms of the domed cross, with the centre of the cross forming the apex of the boss. This configuration creates four sub-triangular openings. The arms of the cross appear to carry a zoomorphic design consisting of biting animal heads. Due to corrosion of the original surface the design is difficult to decipher but probably consists of a total of four animal heads, three being less prominent located at the junction of the rim and the arms and one larger more prominent head forming the crest of the mount at the apex. The underside of the mount is hollowed. The fitting has two incomplete attachment lugs projecting downwards from two opposing sides of the rim and in-line with two of the smaller heads. It is not clear what these attachment points would have looked like when complete and the two may have been joined with a horizontal bar forming a strap-slide type of fitting. It should be noted that there is a single small circular hole in one of the heads which is located immediately above one of these attachment points; it is not clear if this is deliberate or a casting flaw. Alternatively the item may have been a strap-distributor, a suggestion which may be supported by uneven levels of thickness, indicating uneven wear, along the four sections of the outer rim. At this point no parallel for this item has been identified and the item has therefore been dated stylistically as being typical of Viking-influenced design. The item has certain similarities to the raised bosses found on some Viking-era tortoise brooches, which are typically dated from the 850s-950s; the design is also reminiscent of later harness fittings dated from the 10th to 11th centuries; due to lack of a good parallel this item has been provisionally dated broadly at AD 850-1100.
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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