File:Roman Knee Brooch (FindID 388221).jpg

English: A near complete cast copper-alloy Roman knee brooch. It is missing the pin and part of the catchplate due to old breaks, but is otherwise complete. The wings are cylindrical in form with open back face revealing the spring and incomplete pin that it contains. The spring itself is held in place by an iron axis bar that perforates the ends of the wings. At the join between head and bow is a transverse collar beneath which the flattened rectangular bow curves to form an S-shaped profile. It is undecorated with the exception of transverse moulded ridges on front and back of the bow at the centre of the S-shape. At its base the foot is flat and flares slightly, with an integrally cast but incomplete projecting catchplate set at right angles to the plane of the bow. The entire brooch is undecorated and has a mid green patina. It measures 27.82mm in length, 15.99mm in width at spring casing, 11.08mm in width at bow, 2.59mm in thickness at bow, and weighs 10.63g.

This is a Roman knee brooch that finds a near identical parallel with an example from Richborough (Bayley and Butcher, 2004: no 240). Knee brooches are often continental in origin, although Bayley and Butcher (2004: pp. 180) note that the Richborough brooch (and therefore the current example) is of British type and production, with examples found in both military and civillian contexts. This brooch is of 2nd to 3rd century AD date.