File:Probable Iron Age to Early Roman Bracelet Segment (FindID 459318).jpg

English: A probable incomplete cast copper alloy bracelet (bangle or armlet) dating to the late Halstatt or early La Tene period (c. 800 BC - 350 BC). The bracelet consists of a curved rod formed of three conjoined spherical 'beads' or knops with single semi-circular collars placed between the beads. The beaded aspect of the design is hollow and concave in cross-section, but the semi-circular collars seem to be solid, with C-shaped cross-sections. Both ends of the bracelet segment have slightly thinner semi-circular collars with D-shaped cross sections, also solidly cast; both ends bear the remains of attachment mechanisms, with one end displaying a small circular-sectioned shaft and the other the broken remains of a semi-rectangular sectioned hook or loop. These attachment points would have allowed the bracelet segment to fit into other separately cast segments to complete the object.

The bracelet is generally dark green in colour with a relatively even patina, however there are some significant light green coloured speckled corrosion patches, largely evident on one surface edge of the beaded decoration.

The bracelet measures 70.84 mm long, 15.65 mm wide, 11.53 mm thick and weighs 32.31 grams.

Fox (Fox, C. 1958 Pattern and Purpose: A Survey of Early Celtic Art in Britain National Museum of Wales, Cardiff) illustrates similarly decorated bracelets, for example Plates 2 and 31 which are dated to the Iron Age period; other similar examples have however been excavated in Roman period graves at Colchester. Similar examples to this piece are recorded on the database: cf. SUSS-06C944, NMGW-97F033 and WMID-933711. The example from Sussex has a hollow back, but is missing the solid cast collar decorations; the other examples have solid rather than hollow backs.