File:Roman Dragonesque brooch (FindID 613112).jpg

English: Cast copper alloy Dragonesque brooch dating from the early Roman period, that is c. AD50-175. It is a Dragonesque brooch of Mackreth type DRAG 3.c2 or Hunter type A4.

The body of the brooch is broadly S-shaped in plan with a small head at the top; the head at the oppising end is missing, as is the pin. The head features are set around a continuation of the body which curves round to form a circular loop. The ear and nose project from this loop and there is a moulded semicircle and dot suggesting its eye. The main part of the body displays a series of sub-rectangular cells which run vertically and parallel when the brooch is held with the head at the top. They were filled with enamel, probably blue and red, suggested by the remains in the crevices of the cells.

This brooch is a Hunter type A4. Brooches of this type are found on most types of site at the time but are more common on those with military associations. The dragonesque brooch is of a Romano-British form which shows continuity in indigenous art styles with adaptations during the Roman period.

This form of brooch is thought to have originated in Yorkshire, perhaps being spread thence by military redeployments. Its distribution is also thought to indicate 'intimate economic links between East Anglia and Lincolnshire and areas north of the Humber' (Mackreth 2011, page 188).