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Description: | Part of a copper-alloy handle from a Roman folding eating utensil.The handle is in the form of an elongated, crouching feline, with a longitudinal slot on the underside of its body creating a 'U-shaped' section. The rump of the animal, represented by a swelling, is located at the back end, adjacent to the point where a break has occurred in antiquity. A longitudinal groove has been incised into one of the vertical faces at this back end, probably in an attempt to portray a hind leg. Towards the front of the animal there is a gradual increase in depth, the sides flaring at both the top and bottom. At the top, the back extends upwards into the animal's head, which has a pair of moulded, pointed ears at the back, and a central ridge dividing the recessed eyes. The front of the muzzle is vertical, with a single groove beneath representing the mouth. The expanded bottom side represents the start of a pair of forelegs which extend horizontally forwards in front of the face, their distal ends bifurcating and expanding into a pair of perforated lugs with central gap. The corroded remains of an iron axis bar are contained within the perforations in these lugs.Length: 46.5mm; width: 6.5mm; height: 11.7mm; weight: 9.31g.The PAS database includes several parallels for this handle, including DENO-AEBF93, NCL-635E92 and HAMP-BC38B6. The latter of these handles (from Broughton, Hampshire) appears to be complete, extending to almost twice the length of this example and flaring into a crescentic terminal with hinge below. PAS record SF2196 (Campsey Ash, Suffolk) was found in association with a mandolin-shaped spoon bowl, which, it is suggested, would originally have been attached at the front hinge. These objects have been studied by David Sherlock (1976) and remain a rare class of artefact. For a full discussion of the type, see PAS record HAMP-BC38B6. The suggested date, based on the contexts of the excavated examples, is 2nd to 3rd century.
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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