Colchester Archaeological Report 2: The Roman small finds

LATE ROMAN BELT-FITTINGS,
PROBABLY FROM THE CINGULUM
MILITARE (Fig 162; 4247-4254)
The first six pieces (4247-4252) have all been
illustrated and discussed in CAR 1.
4247 CAR 1, fig 8, 1. SF CPS 341(C), 544 L67. Robber trench
material. Period 5. A copper-alloy propellor-shaped beltmount
dated to the middle or the third quarter of the 4th
century.
4248-51 CAR 1, fig 15, 1-4. SF BUC 316(C)/317(C)/318(C)/
320(C), B524/532/533/534 G101. Grave deposits. Period
2. Copper-alloy fittings from two leather belts. Each set of
fittings consists of a buckle with hinged belt-plate decorated
with repousse work belonging to Simpson's Group 2 (1976,
195-6), and a nail-cleaner-shaped strap-end decorated with
chip-carving and hinged to a belt-plate decorated with
repousse work in the same manner as the buckle plate. One
of the buckle plates and one of the strap-end plates are in
fragments.
4252 CAR 1, fig 15, 5. SF BUC 1287(C), E599 L7. Destruction
debris. Probably first half of the 5th century. A copper-alloy
heart-shaped strap-end. The strap-end has double leaf
plates, now separated, and belongs to a group discussed by
Simpson (1976, 201-4).
4253 Fig 162 SF LWC 456(C), B165 F70. Cellar backfill. Period 5.
A copper-alloy ring of lozenge section, possibly from a discattachment
from a late Roman military belt (Hawkes and
Dunning 1962, fig 24). External diameter 26.5 mm.
4254 Fig 162 SF BKC 1717(C), E1034 L325. Topsoil. Post-Roman.
A similar ring to 4253 but smaller. External diameter
20.0 mm.
Fig 162 Rings from late Roman belts (possibly from the cingulum
militare) (1:1)
PHALLIC AMULETS USUALLY ASSOC­
IATED WITH THE ROMAN ARMY
(Figs 163-165; 4255-4259)
Phallic amulets of metal, particularly pendants, are
often found on military sites (Green 1978, 34-5),
though there is no good reason to preclude their use
in civilian life (Oldenstein 1976, 158-9). An amulet in
the shape of a horned phallus (Fig 54, 1804) was
found with other pendants deposited in a grave
(G278) aligned north-south in the earlier of the Butt
Road cemeteries. A phallic amulet was no doubt
intended to confer virility or potency on its owner and
its frequent linking with bull's horns or a fist (see
below) carries the further attribute of male strength.
4255 Fig 163 SF BKC 545(C), A11 L1. Town ditch (F30) fill? Anglo-
Saxon. A fragment of a copper-alloy ?phallic amulet,
possibly similar to a crescent-shaped pendant from Wall
(Webster 1958, fig 8, 223). Length 20.0 mm.
4257 Fig 163 SF BKC 2626(C), H12 L2. Topsoil. Post-Roman. A
copper-alloy phallic mount similar to one from Zugmantel
(Oldenstein 1976, Taf 42, 210). There are two projections
on the reverse for attachment probably to leather.
Length 27.0 mm.
4258 Fig 164 SF LWC 3579(C), J1540. Occupation. Period 3. Bone
139
Fig 163 Phallic mounts (1:1)
Fig 164 Fist and phallus amulets (1:1)
fist and phallus -
amulet. Length 68.0mm.
4259 Fig 164 SF BKC 1842(C), E1174 F341. Large pit. Period 1b.
The phallus end of a bone fist and phallus amulet. Length
48.5 mm.
Stephen Greep has contributed the following note on
the bone fist and phallus amulets, including
comments about other examples from Colchester:
These two objects belong to a well known group of
bone pendants, characterized by having a central
perforation, one end carved into a hand, and the other
into a phallus. The hand may be outstretched, or
clenched in a fist with the thumb protruding from
between the index and middle fingers in an obscene
gesture. The use of the phallus is an obvious fertility
symbol, serving also to ward away the evil eye
(Webster 1969b, 126). There are a large number of
related pendant types, such as antler roundels with
carved phalli (eg Curie 1911, pl 84, 14)and numerous
bronze pendants (eg Webster 1969b).
Hand and phallus amulets were worn as individual
pieces rather than as the centre of more complex
necklets. A related phallic pendant from Vaison (Fig
165 (left); BM 51 8-13 178) was found with a copperalloy
loop with out-turned ends in the central
perforation. Attached to this was 143.0mm of
copper-alloy chain, probably part of a necklet, though
an alternative suggestion is that it was suspended
from a belt. These pendants are an early type, dated to
the 1st century. 1
They occur commonly in military
contexts both in Britain and the Rhineland. 2
Whether