File:Roman zoomorphic brooch (frog) (FindID 242926).jpg

English: An incomplete cast copper-alloy zoomorphic Roman plate brooch in the form of a frog. The head is semi-oval in shape and raised above the level of the body (W.: 7.8mm). It is decorated with incised semicircles that delineate the eyes and further indistinct incisions. The body tapers slightly to a mid-point (W.: 7.3mm), before tapering again to a forked tail (W.: 5.5mm). The body is arched in profile - straight on the upper surface, concave on the lower; the mid-point is the highest part. There are trapezoidal recessed cells between the head and mid-point and between the mid-point and the tail. These both bear traces of red enamel. They also have other possible features, some circular in shape, and some diagonal incisions perhaps to aid adhesion. Extending back from the side of the brooch below the head is a leg with moulded foot; the leg on the other side has been lost as a result of old damage. At the tail both legs are extant (W.: 13.65mm). There is a catchplate on the lower surface of the artefact below the beginning of the head. Adjacent to the hind legs is a double perforated semi-circular lug; the pin is now missing. Such brooches are rare in the literature (see Mills 2000, 59; ref. R150 (M81)). This object has a dark green patina with some patches of lighter green corrosion product.