Roman strap end or fitting - 16

 

Roman - late? - strap end or strap fitting. Copper alloy - carried a nice green patina. Shield shape 2.3cm by 1.6cm at widest. Two locating lugs on the rear.

 

 

The strap end is engraved with the letter Z - The letter Z was introduced into the Latin alphabet in the 1st or 2nd century AD from the Greek. This may indicate the owned may have had a Greek origin? 





Strap End 10

Anglo Saxon strap end Class B Type 1. 8th - 9thc

The strap end is of a copper alloy and carries a dark almost black patina. The proximal end is splayed and has one rivet hole and has two raised bands. The end is damaged and the rivet missing.

The terminal end has a zoomorphic head and two raised bands.

The item has a distinct curve beginning about two thirds down the shaft toward the terminal end. Overall it measures 3.5cm in length and at its narrowest 0.2com widening to 0.5cm.

The underneath is plan but does show some signs of casting with the surface being slightly pitted.

 

 

Starp end 6

The strap end is of a copper/bronze alloy, measuring 3.8 cm by 0.8 cm. The proximal end shows a stylised palmette and carried holes for two rivets, the head of one survives.
The design is almost floral? with possible leaves a trunk headed by a flower? Various parts of the design are of silver inlay - not all survives but enough to give a feel of the design. I would categories the strap end as Class A type2? The reverse is plain.

Tongue Shape Strap End - 15

A tongue shaped strap end - copper alloy 3.3cm by 2.4cm.

Front



Rear

The design is a Winchester Knot type - Thomas Class E? - with possible silver gilding or wire work (black deposits on the face of the strap end).

 

Originally the strap end had three rivet holes (no rivets remain). One of the outside rivet holes was damaged in antiquity and a repair made by creating a new hole below the damaged hole.

 

The reverse is plain.

 

 

The date would seem to be 900-1100 AD.