Colchester Archaeological Report 2: The Roman small finds

two transverse grooves at the widest point.
1717 Fig 46 SF BUC 603(C), C1226 G384. Grave fill. Period 2.
Internal diameter oval, 54.0 by 59.0mm; circular section
tapering from 5.0 to 4.0mm thick. Penannular. The
terminals have been decorated with a design of bead and
double reels.
1719 Fig 46 SF BUC 1550, H377 G537. Grave deposit. Period 2.
Internal diameter 49.0mm; rectangular section, thickness
2.0mm, height 5.0mm. Faceted panels alternate with
horizontally-scored uprights. The armlet has a soldered lap
joint.
1721 Fig 46 SF BUC 1567(C), H405 G519. Grave deposit. Period 2.
One of a pair with 1720. InternaI diameter 45.0mm, circular
section, thickness 2.5mm. The decoration is similar to that
of 1715. The ends are linked by a sheet of copper alloy
moulded to match the decoration, wrapped round the
armlet, and soldered into position.
Multiple motifs (Fig 47; 1724-1732). These
armlets are best described by their illustrations.
1724 Fig 47 SF BKC 1294(C), E360 L433. Town ditch (F138/317)
fill. Post-Roman. Internal diameter oval, 31.0 by 45.0mm;
rectangular section, thickness 1.5mm, height 3.0mm.
Hook-and-eye clasp.
1725 Fig 47 SF BUC 388/9(C), B1050 G171. Grave deposit.
Period 2. Internal diameter 56.5mm; rectangular section,
thickness 1.0mm, height 4.5mm. Soldered lap joint.
1726 Fig 47 SF BUC 457(C), B1681. Unstratified. Distorted, in two
fragments, internal diameter 60.0mm; D-shaped section,
thickness 2.0mm, height 4.0mm. One terminal is tongueshaped
and secured to the other by a large copper-alloy rivet.
1728 Fig 47 SF BUC 457(C), B1681. Unstratified. Fragment,
internal diameter 59.0mm; rectangular section, thickness
1.0mm, height 4.0mm. The terminals are missing.
1729 Fig 47 SF BUC 457(C), B1681. Unstratified. Fragment, with a
copper-alloy rivet in the terminals.
1730 Fig 47 SF BUC 605(C), C1215 G378. Grave deposit. Period 2.
Internal diameter oval, 47.0 by 52.0 mm; D-shaped section,
thickness 2.0mm, height 7.5 mm. Hook-and-eye clasp.
1731 Fig 47 SF BUC 1548(C), H377 G537. grave deposit. Period 2.
Distorted, internal diameter 46.0mm, rectangular section,
thickness 1.5mm, height 5.0mm. Hook-and-eye clasp.
1732 Fig 47 SF IRB 46(C), F41. Grave deposit in 3rd- to 4thcentury
inhumation. In fragments, internal diameter
56.0mm; rectangular section, thickness 2.0mm, height
6.0mm. Hook-and-eye clasp.
IRON ARMLETS
Plain (Fig 48; 1733-1737). Five iron armlets were
recovered from graves in the Butt Road cemeteries.
Four came from east-west oriented graves and one
(1737) from a grave aligned north-south. The acidity
of the sandy soil on the site has destroyed all but
fragments of four of these armlets. All appear to have
been simple circular section rings. No clasps or joins
have been identified. 1736 (G647) was found linked
to a group of copper-alloy armlets (1666-71) by a
copper-alloy three-strand cable armlet (1636). 1737
(G679) was on its own ?on the arm of a skeleton.
1737 Fig 48 SF BUC 1713, H1034 G679. grave deposit. Period 1.
A corroded iron armlet of ?circular section, 6.5 mm diameter.
Internal diameter 58.0mm.
With copper-alloy binding (Fig 48; 1738)
1738 Fig 48 SF BUC 53, A360G15. Grave deposit. Period 2. Grave
15 probably contained two armlets, one of solid metal and
one a loose string of beads and coins (Appendix 2; on
microfiche). The only remains of the solid metal armlet are
three bands, penannular in transverse section. One is of
very corroded copper alloy and two of copper alloy ?plated
with white metal. Each band is approximately 6.0mm long.
45
Inside the two ?plated bands pieces of what appears to have
been a circular-section iron bangle can be seen. From the
site plan, this was approximately 43.0mm in diameter
measured internally. The relevant site photograph shows at
least eight bands in situ, of which only three survived the
lifting process. Threaded onto this armlet was an annular
bead of natural translucent greenish glass (555).
On the basis of this rather tenuous evidence, a circularsection
iron armlet, bound at regular intervals with clasps of
plated copper alloy and carrying an annular bead, has been
postulated. The bands appear from the site photograph to
have been at 6.0mm intervals, giving a regular pattern of
6.0mm of exposed iron and 6.0mm of copper alloy. On the
basis of the estimated diameter of the iron bangle, this
would give eleven bands of copper alloy, ten 6.0mm lengths
of exposed iron, and one unbound length of just under
12.0mm. As the perforation of the annular bead is not large
enough to slide over one of the surviving bands, it must have
been placed between two adjacent bands. Though, at
5.0mm long, it could have fitted onto a short length of
exposed iron, it is likely that it was located on the 12.0mm
length. The reconstruction shows only two pieces of the
copper-alloy binding, one upside down to illustrate the
section. No attempt has been made to show a clasp or join.
FINGER-RINGS
All but two of the rings are of metal. The plain Dsection
copper-alloy ring, Fig 50, 1749, found on the
index finger of a skeleton (G41) 20
in the later Butt
Road cemetery, implies that many rings not usually
considered to be finger-rings may in fact be so.
Designs on finger-rings are frequently similar to
those on armlets. Compare the armlet Fig 38, 1561
with the ring Fig 50, 1766; the armlet Fig 44, 1684
with the ring Fig 50, 1773; and the armlet Fig 44,
1676 with the ring Fig 50,1770. As with the armlets
and beads most of the finger-rings derive from late
3rd- to 4th-century contexts, with a fairly high
proportion coming from graves in the Butt Road
cemeteries. Early finger-rings are represented by the
plain ring with a clasp based on a Celtic motif. Fig 50,
1756, the coiled ring, Fig 50, 1759, and the ring with
glass inset. Fig 50, 1779.
SHALE AND JET FINGER-RINGS
Plain (Fig 49; 1739)
1739 Fig 49 SF BKC 5005, V68 L22. Dump. Late Period 5. Shale,
fragment. Plain. Internal diameter 16.0mm; D-shaped
section, height 3.0mm, thickness 2.5 mm.
Faceted (Fig 49; 1740)
1740 Fig 49 SF BKC 2357, G343 F141. Pit. Period 5c? Jet. Internal
diameter oval, 13.0 by 15.0mm; D-shaped section, height
5.5mm, thickness 4.5 mm. A series of leaf-shaped notches
has been cut into the ring on the point of the outer curve.
Damaged.
COPPER-ALLOY FINGER-RINGS
Plain (Fig 50; 1741-1755.)
1741 Fig 50 SF LWC 1040, C411. Cultivated soil. Period 2?, 3a?,
3b? Cast. Internal diameter 20.5mm; rectangular section,
height 5.5 mm, thickness 1.5 mm. Possibly not a finger-ring?
1742 Fig 50 SF LWC 3068(C), J860. Occupation. Period 4. Cast.
Internal diameter 16.0mm; roughly D-shaped section,
height 2.5 mm, thickness 1.5 mm. Possibly not a finger-ring?
1743 Fig 50 SF BKC 36(C), A32 L3. Topsoil and town ditch (F16)
fill. Post-Roman. Cast. Internal diameter 18.0mm; thin Dshaped
section, height 4.5mm, thickness 1.0mm. Possibly
not a finger-ring?