Colchester Archaeological Report 2: The Roman small finds

graves in the Butt Road cemeteries were planned in
situ. Some are illustrated in Fig 56. The soil
conditions on the site were acid, so no leather
survived except as a dark stain from which the
approximate shapes of the shoes could be planned.
The nails themselves were very corroded. In many
cases distortion of the nail pattern caused by the
disturbance of the body within the coffin on
deposition and by soil movement on the collapse of
the coffin, coupled with the unfavourable soil
conditions, meant that only a jumble of a few nails
survived to indicate the presence of footwear.
The type of shoe deposited is unknown. Probably both
the calceus, a shoe, often of openwork, and the solea,
a thonged sandal (Charlesworth and Thornton 1973,
150; Keppie 1975, 66, 68), were represented. It may
be that soles set with hobnails in a simple pattern
were from sandals, and those studded heavily were
shoes. There is no evidence to suggest that the
military boot, the caliga, may also be represented
(Clarke 1979, 322; Keppie 1975, 78).
Notes
1 The prefix AD has been omitted from dates except where
confusion may arise.
2 Pre-Roman features have, however, been found during the
Culver Street excavation of 1981-2.
3 This brooch, with six others, was found in a box in the
Colchester and Essex Museum with a label stating that they had
been given by Mr Round. This probably refers to Dr J H Round,
the eminent Colchester historian, who died in 1928.
4 In late Iron Age contexts only three are known to me. two from
Prae Wood, Herts, Iron Age occupation period, AD 5-35, both
flat sectioned, one with incised zig-zag on top, the other with
transverse incisions near coil (Wheeler and Wheeler 1936, fig
24, 3 and 4); and one from Camulodunum, Colchester,
Sheepen T.H.7, 80-90 ft at 18 ins, flat sectioned with two
grooves on upper face, transverse hatchings across these
(Hawkes and Hull 1947, fig 59, 4, no 186, CM 35.10.
From undated or unlocated contexts, some of which might be
1st or 2nd century but some of which might well be late
Romano-British\or Anglo-Saxon, there are: Colchester, Essex,
one with round sectioned hoop, segmented mouldings on upper
half (Jarmin Coll., CM 246.02); half only of a minute brooch with
tiny zig-zag impressed into flat upper face (Joslin Coll., CM
1051); St Albans or Verulamium, Herts, two flat sectioned
brooches with notched chevrons on edge (Herts County
Museum); Woodeaton, Oxon, round sectioned, groove on coils
(Ashmolean, Pr 421); Dragonby Moneyfield, Scunthorpe,
Lines, flat sectioned, with engraved transverse hatchings on
hoop, coil and pin head, which is humped and spoon-ended
(Scunthorpe Museum); Honington, Suffolk, flat sectioned,
engraved opposed 'V's on hoop (Ashmolean, 1927, 6326);
Icklingham, Suffolk, one, rolled strip, flattened, engraved
triangles like snake's skin (Ashmolean, 1927, 6386) and
another one, flat sectioned, engraved transverse hatchings
(Ashmolean, 1927, 6329); Ixworth, Suffolk, flat sectioned with
engraved 'S's across ring, (Museum of Archaeology and
Ethnography, Cambridge, A.1910.150).
From late Romano-British contexts: Lydney, Glos, one flat
sectioned, 'V's nicked on outside edge of hoop, another round
sectioned, has coils only engraved like the Woodeaton example.
Most of the Lydney penannular brooches are Type Ds and many
are decorated with transverse hatchings, 'V's nicked on outside
and inside of hoop, or have opposed triangles or figures-of-eight
across hoop. All these forms of decoration figure on other types
of penannular brooches which, where datable, are late rather
than early Romano-British (Wheeler and Wheeler 1932).
From Anglo-Saxon contexts, some graves (all are flat
sectioned): Sleaford, Lines, one with grooved coils (BM 834-
53
?PURSE (Fig 57; 1850)
1850 Fig 57 SF BUC 693(C), C392 G278. Grave deposit. Period 1.
A large mass of iron pan containing objects Fig 58, 1802-5
and 1811, two pierced coins (Julia Maesa, 218-223, and
Claudius I copy, 43-64) and many copper-alloy chain links.
Three types of link were present. Thick(1.5 mm) penannular
links (Fig 57, a), thin (1.0mm) solid links (Fig 57, b), and thin
(1.0mm) penannular links with flattened and pierced
terminals fixed by a rivet (Fig 57, c, d). The thick penannular
links appear to predominate. No patterns of interlinking
could be distinguished. Though the majority of surviving
fragments are of interlinked thick penannular rings (Fig 57,
e), at least one example can be found of each type joined to
each other type. The most likely interpretation of these links
is that they formed a purse. The interlinking and the narrow
holes and suspension loops of the objects associated with
the links rule out the possibility of a simple neck chain.
Fig 57 Links from a ?chain mesh purse (1:1)
1.52); Faversham, Kent, with a shallow groove round hoop(BM
1175.70); two from Nassington, Northants, with sideways 'S's
(Antiq J 24 (1944), pl 23, c.A); Fimber, Yorks, with zig-zags
(Mortimer 1905, 190-2).
5 At Colchester the average diameter of bone pin shafts is
4.1 mm. The average width or diameter of bone needle heads is
4.7 mm and of bronze needle heads 3.2mm.
6 Grave 115, silver pin Fig 28, 480; Grave 174, silver pin 481;
Grave 342, silver pin Fig 31, 512; Grave 519, two copper-alloy
pins 488 and 489; Grave 537, copper-alloy pin Fig 28, 484,
silver pin 483, silver pin with gilt copper-alloy head 482, and
, four glass pins 462, 464, Fig 25, 461, 463. Grave groups and
the positions of these objects relative to the skulls concerned
will be published in the forthcoming site report.
7 Grave 687, Type 3 bone pin 340.
8 See also Hagen 1937, 95-7.
9 Stephen Greep has noted evidence for the use of a lathe on pi ns
of Type 6 in the north of England (pers comm).
10 A Type 2 pin from the Culver Street site, 1981.
11 An attempt was made to dye an unstratified metapodial using
green food colouring. After immersion for a week in a solution
of one part colouring to ten parts water the bone was externally
green. It was then split using a hammer. Internally the
cancellous tissue was much greener than the bone wall, which
had only been penetrated by the colouring for a depth of 1.0mm.
12 I am very grateful to Stephen Greep for information about the
relative percentages of this type. These figures are, however,
provisional.
13 For information on the properties attributed by the ancients to
jet, its sources, and the etymology of the word see Hagen 1937,
77-8; RCHM 1962, 141.
14 The lumps of a black vitreous substance mentioned by Hull
(1958, 158b) may have been melted jet.
15 Other examples are published in Neal 1977, fig 46,23; Neal and
Butcher 1974, fig 64, 212; Cunliffe 1971, fig 52, 172; and
Bushe-Fox 1928, pl 19, 26.
16 See Brodribb et al 1971 a, fig 30, 32; Cunliffe 1971, fig 52,171;
Henderson I949, pl 53,197,198; and Kenyon 1948, fig 89,2,3.
17 The reference in Lawson 1976 (247 note 2) to the use of hairrings
having been observed at Strood, Kent (Coll Ant 1848) is
spurious.
18 I am grateful to David Birkett for this information.
19 The human wrist and arm are, after all, more or less oval in
section.
20 The bones are very decayed and the skeleton cannot therefore
be sexed.