Roman Brooch

[Pona]

Myself and a couple of friends decided to start a new metal detecting club in our area a few months back. I cannot believe how successful the club forum and rallies have become in such a short space of time. We hold regular rallies etc etc. A rally we held last Sunday (7th September) produced some nice finds but one in particular blew me away. Its this Roman brooch, 2nd to 3rd Century AD (dated By the enamel as i have no idea what type it would be) The size would be close to 40mm.

Hope you like it.

I cannot think of a word that does it Justice.

[Restoring Your Finds]

Now that is a beauty !!!!! I have some friends who may be able to tell you more about the exact type. They run a forum specific to fibulas and brooches. (In France) If you are interested, let me know.

Again, this is a gorgeous fibula !! I only found 2 so far and none of them is nearly as gorgeous as this one !

[del]

Hello Pona , nice to hear from you . what is the metal composition of that piece , if you know?? and was there any kind of attachment point on the reverse side??

[Pona]

@ Taltahull, That would be great, thank you. I'm normally the guy who people bring things to when they want something identified...but this is way different to any other type of brooch I've seen. It seems to combine at least 3 different brooch types. The most similar would be a "Head stud type" but i have never seen one quiet like this. I'll get a photo of the back put up for you as well. Thanks again.

Hello Del. Its made from Bronze mate, the back would have have been similar to a lot of metal badges today, the pin would normally be iron which is why a lot dont last. (they were the safety pin of their day I suppose)

One point I must make at this time...THAT is not my carpet! and next time I see the finder I will be having strong words regarding his choice of floor coverings.

[Lodge Scent]

Now THAT is pretty cool to say the least !

[Bell-Two]

Wow that is a beautiful find.

[aloldstuff]

Over here anything Roman is a very cool find. Just by reading the thread I learned a lot. And yes talk to your friend about the carpet.

[Pona]

Thanks for the replies, My friend assures me that THAT is not his carpet...he reckons its a dish cloth. Having taken a closer look he may be right. (21st Century dish cloths are not an area I'm that familiar with) :D

[Pona]

Oh and one more thing, If any of you do come over to England, drop me a pm. You would be more than welcome to join us on a club dig. August to March is best as the crops are out, although we do have some pasture sites as well.

[Restoring Your Finds]

I'm in ! In return, you would be more than welcome to join me on a hunt in France when I am there during the summer.

Going back to the fibula, I posted it on a first forum and it is going to be posted on the other which specializes in fibulas and roman brooches. First comment I had was to confirm the head stud type, 2nd century AD. But waiting for another confirmation by the specialists.

[Beartoe]

I am green with envy .

It is hard for me to imagine finding relics that are more than a couple of hundred years old. Nice save.

[Pona]

Thanks for your comments Beartoe, I'll pass them on to the finder.

@ Taltahull, Thank you for the time etc you have spent helping me out with this one. The offer still stands to you (or anyone else for that matter) you are more than welcome to join us on a club dig.

With the permission of the powers that be on this forum ie Angie, Dan, Tony et al I could post you a link to our forum so you could register.

[HEAVYMETALNUT]

sweet find!

[Restoring Your Finds]

Hi Pona,

I have had a little feedback by at least one member from the fibulae forum. Not all members have talked yet (on vacation, harvesting their grapes or somewhere else !).

What this member told me however is that everybody is amazed by this brooch... and also puzzled !!

They can't pinpoint an exact match. (And of course, now they are asking for more documentation, more pics, etc... LOL)

Somebody thought (just as you did, i think) that there is a broken ring at the top of the fibula. Which led you to think of a head stud fibula. This guy thinks it could worth looking into the various types of geometric fibulas called "Feugere 26e". He will then look into to the Mackreth to see if there is anything comparable in UK.

It's all I have for you right now and I am guessing it's probably nothing you didn't already know !

[Pona]

Crackin Job Taltahull, Thats some great information for me. As soon as i get some better pictures I'll let you know. The field it came off also produced some nice Sestertius of Marcus Aurelius and Antoninus Pius..(no surprises there being those two Emperors) which would tentatively date the site to 2nd Century :D

Thanks again for the info and taking the time to get it.

Pona

[Restoring Your Finds]

You're very welcome Pona. Another member confirmed the same hypothesis : asymmetrical enamelled fibula with a ring at the head (I guess it would go well along with your head stud type), Feugère 26e type, 2nd/3rd century AD.
That would also go well along with the sestertius you found. However, the Feugère classification is a bit specific in terms of geographic origins. You may want to compare the Feugere 26e type to what is in the Mackreth.

(I re read my previous emails... Oh my... Excuse my French and my apologies for all the mistakes !!)

As the guys from this fibulas forum proved to be good with identifications, I sent them a picture of a fibula I found, which I would like identified as well ! If this is what I think it is, it is very rare. But it can absolutely not be compared to the beauty you posted here !