Intact. A large iron penannular brooch of the early Roman period. The roughly oval ring is nearly flat in section and may include some lead in its otherwise iron composition. The terminals at either end of the ring were formed by curving the metal back on itself to form loops, then hammering these nearly flat into a box-like shape. The still movable pin is nearly square in section and narrows to a point where it rests between the ring terminals. The surfaces are corroded, as is typical with iron artifacts, but well preserved and the object is stable. Large and impressive. Iron penannular brooches have their origins in the Celtic Iron Age and were widespread from Britain to central Europe. They persisted in some areas well into late Roman times.
PROVENANCE: Formerly in a German private collection.
COMPARISONS: D.F. Mackreth, The Brooches from the Eastin-Maudit Romano-British Villa, Numbers 48, 52 and 53 for related iron examples.