File:Brooch (FindID 65188-27453).tif

English: Copper alloy fragment, probably of a bow brooch but of a type that is not immediately recognisable. It is missing the foot end, the spring/pin and has an abraded surface which has light brown silty material stuck to it. The small headplate is almost semicircular in outline with a lobe in the centre of the chord and apparently undecorated (perhaps one or two punched dots?); behind it a single pierced lug contains traces of an iron loop. The strongly arched bow has a flat back and high, almost flat sides meeting at a central ridge. Towards the ends of the bow there are transverse ribs and a broad concave moulding and it becomes shallower. In the centre the sides have four punched dots in a panel defined by bands of 4/5 angled transverse grooves. The surviving (the edges may be damaged) width of the headplate is 11.5mm surviving length is 32mm and the bow arch is 14mm high. Possible brooch types related to this piece would be: Roman P-shaped (but unusual head, atypical bow section and decoration); early Anglo-Saxon small long (but very small head and unusual bow form, perhaps a narrow predecessor of the type?); later Anglo-Saxon ansate type (head plate possible but bow very strongly arched and narrow). Since the piece is incomplete there also remains the possibility that the object is not a brooch.