|
Date: |
|
Description: | A complete copper alloy rotary casket key of Medieval date. The bow is cicular and attached to the shank just above the mid-point. The shank is sub-rectangular in section and has a cyclindrical end. The bit is relatively simple in form, it is sub-rectangular with a small square cleft cut out on either side. The key is mid-green in colour.A number of very similar rotary keys are shown in G. Egan's 'Medieval Households' pages 111-119. From the size of the key and the presence of a hollow shank it is likely that the key would have been used to lock a casket rather than a door. The keys illustrated in this volume are all dated from the late 12th - to late 14th centuries (1150-1400). Therefore a similar date is suggested here for this example.Similar examples on the database are: NMS-1EB5E5, NMS-437387, NMS-D9D256 and NMS-562426.The key is 33.7mm long, 9.3mm wide, 3.2mm thick and weighs 3.52 grams.
Original Image | Publisher: | http://finds.org.uk | Source: | Portable Antiquities | Identifier: | https://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/ | Go to resource |
|
|