File:?Roman bell (FindID 73462).jpg

English: A copper-alloy bell of probable Roman date. The piece is half spherical and has been quite crudely cast. The walls of the bell are thick (up to 3.5mm) and are heavily encrusted on the inside. The bottom edge of the bell is rough in appearance due to the presence of a number of decorative "teeth". These cover approximately half of the edge, the other half being flat and plain. The clapper is missing but a protrusion on the inside of the bell indicates its former existence. A copper-alloy wire extends upwards from this protrusion forming a bent hanger on top of the bell. A sub-circular hole also exists towards the top of the object, although this may be the result of post-depositional damage. The bell measures 26.7mm diameter by 13.5mm high (20.7mm including the hanger) and weighs 17.86g. Parts of the surface are covered with a black substance which is probably a corroded silvering. The closest parallel to this object that could be found was a bracelet bell from a grave in Colchester, dated from c.320-450 AD (see ref.). The illustration suggests that this object may also have had the "teeth" around the bottom edge, although this does not appear to have been recognised as a deliberately created feature.