File:Copper-alloy Roman nail cleaner (FindID 57742).jpg

English: A copper-alloy nail cleaner. This item is Roman and probably dates to the late 4th century (Crummy 2001). The item is 77 mm long and is complete apart from the very tip of the blade, which has been broken off. The item has a loop at the top and was probably once part of a chatelaine (a personal hygiene set worn about ones person). This loop is at a right angle to the blade. The handle of the nail cleaner is decorated with two bands of linear incisions which run horizontally along the handle. The handle broadens just before it joins the blade and is barbed in the direction of the blade, giving the appearance of a sword hilt. There are incised circular markings on either side of this 'hilt'. The blade broadens from 6 mm at the handle to 10 mm at a third of its length. It then tapers back down to 3 mm at the point where the tip has broken off. The blade is a total of 50 mm in length. The blade is decorated with a ring-and-dot design, with one ring-and-dot just below the handle, two adjacent ring-and-dots where the blade broadens, and back to one-ring-and-dot where the blade tapers. This design continues down to the tip of the blade. The reverse of the handle and blade are quite plain and undercorated. The item retains some very faint traces of gilding and has a good green patina.