File:Roman Eye Type Brooch (FindID 458730).jpg

English: Roman copper alloy bow brooch of 'Eye' type and of 1st century AD date
The brooch is near-complete, missing the end of the pin and the catch (with a length of 56.3mm and a weight of 13.1g). The brooch is of one-piece construction with the chord tensioned by a broad (5.8mm wide) forward-facing hook above the head and the spring (with a width of 24.3mm) is coiled four times each side of the centre. The spring is of rectangular section as it coils from the bow and only becomes circular-sectioned on the outermost coil. The bow expands at the head, beneath the spring (to 20.0mm) but has no protruding knops. The 'eyes' of the brooch comprise a stamped ring, positioned each side of the centre and are partially obscured by the hook, which tensions the chord and makes them difficult to see. The upper bow is deeply arched (to a depth of 25.7mm) and is of low-D-shaped section with straight, near-parallel sides (8.9mm wide and 2.4mm thick). The bow was decorated with a recessed groove filled with punched ridges at the centre of the bow and the sides have a raised border, now damaged. The 'button' comprises a raised moulding (4.3mm deep from the rear of the bow and 2.0mm thick) as wide as the bow, which does not continue onto the rear of the bow. The concave leg is of low triangular section, with straight sides diverging to the foot (with a width of 9.8mm). The catch-plate is positioned at the centre of the rear of the leg, and much of the catch is lost. The surface has a pale to dark-green patina, with areas of golden-bronze visible.

The brooch is an unusual discovery for Wales and relatively uncommon in Britain, with a few examples excavated at Colchester and Richborough from mid 1st century AD contexts (Bailey & Butcher, 2004, p 148) . The type corresponds to Hull's type 40B, which is believed to have been imported with the Roman army and is found more commonly in the forts of the Rhine and Danube frontier. The brooch can be closely paralleled with a number of examples recovered from Germany (Riha, 1979, nos. 193-197) . A similar brooch of the same type (NMWPA 2010.182.1) was reported from the vicinity.