File:Early Roman, Incomplete unusual probable Aesica brooch (FindID 627360-476195).jpg

English: An incomplete copper alloy unusual Aesica brooch, of Early Roman dating (AD 43-65).

Around 75% of the brooch is present, consisting of the back plate, lozenge boss, upper bow, a wing and an incomplete spring casing. The spring and pin are missing presumed lost in antiquity.

The brooch is composite, being made of three separate parts: a back plate, a lozenge boss and the upper bow.

The back plate is irregular in shape. The top of the plate consists of the wings and is sub rectangular in shape, with curved ends (26.2 mm wide). The reverse of this would have originally held the spring (now missing). Only one of the wings is now present. From the centre of the lower edge, a lozenge plate central section extends (39.4 mm wide) . This has ridges along the edges, and a central circular rivet hole on the reverse. This rivet hole contains the end of the curved upper bow. Below the lozenge section, is a sub triangular foot section (19.8 mm minimum width, 32.0 maximum width). The lower edge has sub triangular knops on each corner. Due to the level of abrasion, it is hard to determine if these are incomplete or not. The reverse of the foot plate has a vertical sub triangular incomplete catch plate. The catch plate has been perforated with two circular holes, 1.8 mm wide. The front of the foot plate bears raised decoration. This decoration consists of two circular ridges, set inside each other, with petal shaped ends. The outer petal ends have two circular dots, almost resembling 'eyes', the inner petal ends have one dot. A horizontal row of six circular perforations on the reverse corresponds with the 'eyes' on the front. The holes on the reverse have an internal diameter of 1.3 mm.

The lozenge boss has been positioned in the centre of the lozenge section of the back plate. The boss is convex (domed) in shape, with a series of decorative perforations around the edge. The two lower edges have three triangular perforations, with a circular one to either side. Whereas the upper two edges (partially obscured from view by the curved bow) have a central triangular perforation with a circular one to either side.

The curved bow starts from the wings, and continues through the boss into the back plate. The curved bow starts off as 21.2 mm wide, expands in width to 30.9 mm before shrinking in width to 8.5 mm at the boss. The bow has been decorated with two vertical grooves, with thickened edges.

It measures 59.8 mm in length, 39.5 mm wide and 24.5 mm thick. It weighs 51.6 g.

The brooch is a mid green to mid brown colour, with an uneven surface patina. Abrasion, caused by movement whilst within the plough soil, has resulted in the loss of some of the original surface detail.

Similar Aesica style brooches have been published by Hattatt (2000, p311, no 288-9) and Mackreth (2011, p 46-7, no 11880), although none of them have the same lozenge style bow and zoomorphic / petal decoration on the foot. It is possible that this brooch may have been part of a chatelaine due to the sub triangular knops at the edge of the foot.

Similar brooches have been recorded on the PAS database as CAM-97D6C8 and BERK-218566.

References:
Hattatt, R. 2000. A Visual Catalogue of Richard Hattatt's Ancient Brooches. Oxbow books, Oxford.

Mackreth, D. 2011. Brooches in Late Iron Age and Roman Britain. Oxbow Books, Oxford.