Roman Jewellery Romano-British Brooch 1st-2nd Century AD

Description

Heading: Roman jewellery Romano-British brooch

Material: Bronze with enamelling

Period: Romano-British occupation

Date: 1st-2nd century AD

Origin: Roman provinces. possibly Romano-British. rare.

Condition: VF. uneven patina. Rare. Sadly remnants of the pin are missing. but this is not unusual.

Description: An exquisite rare bronze plate dragonesque fibula with an s-shaped openwork body and stylised animal head and central boss. As is often the case with these brooches. the loop pin is missing.

Size and Weight: 55mm x 26mm. 18.8g 

References: Nigel Mills. Celtic & Roman Artefacts. p. 25. RC31

Features and Provenance: Brooches as clothes fasteners have been made since the bronze age. As skills and metallurgy advanced. so did the size and detail of the fibulae. They were still used by the Romans. as buttons had yet to be invented. This type of zoomorphic brooch is thought to be derived from Celtic patterns of fibula and have been found in Britain. especially on the Northern fringes (Brigantia) such as near Hadrian’s Wall. The pin. very often missing. was attached by a loop to the head and latched around the body of the brooch at the tail end. It was probably used for heavy wool items.

Condition Summary. This varies with the age of the artefact and there are grades between

Extremely Fine (EF). Very slight traces of wear. all parts of pattern etc present. visible and clear

Very Fine (VF). Some signs of wear on the higher parts of the relief. all parts of pattern etc present. but may be worn

Fine (F). Wear on the artefact and parts of item and pattern etc may be missing or not visible