Colchester Archaeological Report 2: The Roman small finds

usually of one division. It is impossible to assess the original
number of beads.
c) circular section, segmented
1346 Fig 36 SF LWC 2955, J565 F180. Road ditch. Period 4.
Fragment, length 12.0mm, diameter (elliptical) 3.0 by
3.5 mm. Opaque turquoise glass. Ribbed, rather than
segmented.
1347 Fig 36 SF BKC 714, D64 L1/F1. Upper town ditch fill. Late
Anglo-Saxon. Length 10.0mm, diameter 4.5mm.
Translucent turquoise glass.
1348 Fig 36 SF BUC 7(C), A8 G1. Grave deposit. Period 2. Length
15.0mm, diameter 8.0mm. Amber, in two irregularlyshaped
segments.
1349 Fig 36 SF BUC 186(C), B306 G69. Grave deposit. Period 2.
With 1350-69 a group of 21. Lengths vary from 8.0 to
22.0mm, average diameter 3.0mm. Jet. Segments vary in
depth and size.
1370 Fig 36 SF BUC 455(C), C33. Unstratified. Length 27.5 mm,
diameter 6.0 mm (tapers slightly towards one end). Jet. Plain
central convex band flanked by segments.
d) circular section, collared
1380 Fig 36 SF BUC 195(C), B303 G69. Grave deposit. Period 2.
With 1381-2 a group of three. Average length 15.5 mm,
average diameter at centre 4.0mm. Jet, tapers at each end
towards collar.
Fig 36 Long beads (1:1)
e) rectangular section
1385 Fig 36 SF BKC 2871, H372 L12. Destruction debris of Period
5b building. Period 5b (end). Length 10.0mm, width 4.5 mm.
Translucent dark green glass. Tapers slightly towards each
end.
1386 Fig 36 SF BKC 4435, N441 L56. Dump. Period 5b2. Length
5.0mm, width 3.0 by 3.5mm. Opaque dark green glass.
1415 Fig 36 SF BUC 1221, C505 G291. Grave deposit. Period 1.
Length 4.5 mm, width 2.5 by 3.5 mm. Opaque mid blue glass
with an opaque white paste marvered chevron with red
paste in the centre. One end tapers slightly.
f) faceted rectangular section. These beads date to the
late 3rd or 4th century.
1419 Fig 36 SF BUC 708, C1394 G406. Grave deposit. Period 2.
One of a pair with 1420. Length 14.0mm, width 10.5mm.
Amber, weathered.
g) pentagonal section
1421 Fig 36 SF MID 776, G3274 L538. Topsoil. 4th century to
early medieval. Length 9.0mm, width 7.0mm. Opaque dark
green glass.
h) hexagonal section, or prism-shaped (Guido 1978,
fig 37, 9, 11)
1422-3 Fig 36 SF LWC 1358, E78. Topsoil. Uncertain date.
1422) length 4.0mm, width 2.5 mm. 1423) length 4.5 mm,
width 2.5mm. Chrysoprase, threaded onto gold wire. MrEA
Jobbins of the Institute of Geological Sciences, London
suggests that the chrysoprase comes from a source in
Silesia, at Kosemutz or Frankenstein.
1424 Fig 36 SF BKC 3237, J167. Unstratified. Length 13.5 mm,
width 3.0mm. Opaque dark blue glass, tapers towards one
end.
1426 Fig 36 SF BUC 7(C), A8 G1. Grave deposit. Period 2. Length
7.5mm, width 5.5 by 8.0mm. Prism-shaped, dark green
translucent glass. This bead is possibly of Sarmatian origin
(ibid, 97).
1427 Fig 36 SF BUC 429, B1302 L3. Period 1. Length 13.0mm,
width 6.0mm. Opaque, corroding, dark green glass. Both
ends are convex.
1429 Fig 36 SF BUC 1544, H392 G537. Grave deposit. Period 2.
With 1430-6 a group of eight. Average length 7.5 mm,
average width 5.0mm. Translucent dark green glass.
i) octagonal section
1444 Fig 36 SF BKC 3036, J48 L6. Dump. Probably Period 5b.
Length 9.0mm, width 5.5 mm. Variscite. Pierced off-centre.
Mr EA Jobbins suggests a Central European source for the
variscite used to make this bead and 1445 and 1446.
1445 Fig 36 SF BKC 3398(C), J221 F49. Pit. Period 5b. Length
5.5 mm, width 4.0mm. Variscite. Pierced off-centre.
1446 Fig 36 SF BKC 5129, V188 F50. Pit. Period 5 (or 6). Length
9.0mm, width 4.0mm. Variscite. Pierced off-centre.
Long plano-convex bead (Fig 36; 1447)
1447 Fig 36 SF BUC 711, C1394 G406. Grave deposit. Period 2.
Length 21.5 mm, width 19.5 mm. Jet. Spacer bead, pierced
twice.
OTHER BEADS
Heart-shaped beads (Fig 37; 1448-1481). These
are dated by Guido (1978, 98) to the 3rd and 4th
centuries. Our examples are from graves (G1, G609)
dated to not earlier than c 320.
1448-50 Fig 37 SF BUC 7(C), A8 G1. Grave deposits. Period 2.
With 1451-78 a group of 31. Average length 3.5 mm,
average width 4.5 mm. Opaque light blue glass.
1479 Fig 37 SF BUC 7(C), A8 G1. Grave deposit. Period 2. Length
6.0mm, width 9.0mm. Translucent dark blue glass. This
bead is not heart-shaped but flat-sectioned and oval, a
shape classified by Guido with heart-shaped beads.