Roman Brooches
Brooches weren’t just for decoration – they were worn by both men and women to secure clothing and they were similar in their securing technique to modern safety pins.. They were normally made of bronze and were commonly decorated with coloured enamels.
|
Brooches were already being worn by the native “British” before the Roman invasion, so a number brooches of the Roman period show a mixture of both British and continental styles. Most were mass produced – but they are rarely found intact by detectorists, usually at least the pin is missing. Most date to the 1st and 2nd century AD when brooches were fashionable – after the 2nd century the range and number reduce greatly – the only brooch of note to remain is the crossbow, which is seen as a marker of high status. The majority of brooches are of copper-alloy – Silver and gold are rare. |
 |
The forms can be split into three main types: safety pin/bow , plate or disc and pennannular.
Safety Pin/Bow-shapedTypes
There are two techniques of tensioning the pin – sprung and hinged. The Sprung Pin – This doesnt need to be as strongly built as the hinged pin as the sprung pin spreads the tension. These are the most common in Britain. The Hinged Pin – The pin swings on an axis and is restarined by a stop on its head.
| Dolphin form common in 1st and 2nd Centuries AD |
Named this because it looks like a leaping dolphin. These are simple bow brooches although there are some later hinged examples. Both sprung and hinged forms are found in south and midland England , petering out in the north. They have a transverse head with short wings protecting the spring. In some cases the wings can be long and decorated. The bow which may have a beaded design along the back can be square, D-shaped or V-shaped. The catch plate is small
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Aucissa type Circa AD 50-65 |
These were imported by the Romans from the continent and are an early example of a hinged pin, sometimes on an iron axis. This brooch type was first made in Gaul during the first half of the 1st century AD, and appeared in Britain, c.AD 50.
There is sometimes the word avcissa or atgivios on the head of the brooch which is assumed to be the maker’s name. This type is well known on military sites throughout Britain but seems to have been replaced by British made brooches.
 |
 |
| Crossbow form Circa early 3rd-4th century AD |
This is the most complex of the Roman brooches. In the early verions the terminals were more bulbous and part of the bow and wing. In the fourth century the knobs became very large with some being screwed on. A hinged pin ran through the top of the bow holding the top knob in place.
The bow and catchplate could be elaborately decorated with incised patterns – ring and dot, lines, chevrons and spirals. They ahve been found made from most materials from bronze to gold, or gilded bronze. Crossbow brooches were common on the continent, but tended to be hollow, unlike the solid Romano-British types.
 |
 |
| Fantail form Circa 1st to mid 2nd century AD |
This is named for its triangular foot. The most famous examples of these come from Greatchesters on Hadrians Wall an also ffrom Tre’r Ceiri, Caernarfonshire.
 |
| Trumpet form Circa AD 45- 2nd century |
This is named after the shape of its head which looks like a trumpet and is one of the best known brooch forms of the Romano-British period with the peak of production in the early 2nd century AD. The finest of these brooches were made of silver, sometimes gilt and they were normally worn in pairs. Surprisingly they are rarely found outside of Britain.
The earlier versions have simple waist-knobs with later versions having a waist-knob set between opposing acanthus leaves. These brooches were common in military areas especially in the north in the first half of the 2nd century.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Plate / Disc types
| Plate/Disc types 2nd century to end of Roman Period |
These were most popular during the 2nd century and there is a huge range of these brooches.
They are usually flat, but may have a domed centre.
They are often decorated with enamel, glass, silverwork or semi-prescious stones with colours that are normally red, blue, orange, green and yellow
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Dragonesque 1st -3rd century |
In the 1st century these consisted of a plain plate with two arms, one at the top for the hinge and another at the base to serve as the catchplate. They were usually enamelled, very colourful and the patterns were derived from “Celtic” art.
They are mainly found in Northern Britain but were exported as far away as Hungary, France and Germany.
 |
 |
| Plate skeuomorphic 2nd-3rd century |
These brooches imitate an object – most popular are daggers, axes, soles of shoes, phalluses, swastikas, cornucopiae, wheels and chatelaines. They probably served as amulets or lucky charms
 |
 |
 |
| Plate zoomorphic 2nd-3rd century |
These were made in a number of designs such as dogs, hares, cockerels, dolphins, flies, birds, fish and horses. Animal brooches in particular are found on religious sites. Many horse and rider brooches have been found at temple sites indicating a cult significance.
 |
 |
 |
 |
Pennanular types
| Pennanular Iron age onwards – so difficult to date |
A very common type – used for over 1000 years. They consist of a broken hoop with a pin folded over the rim that can swivel around. Terminals are sometimes folded over or pinched in with simple designs, or are highly decorated, sometimes fashioned into animal heads. Terminals with elaborate zoomorphic designs began in the last 2nd century becoming most popular in the 4th century.
They were made by casting or from a bent rod. The pins were made separately and are either humped or concave.
A roman pin is shorter than the saxon version
(To fasten a penannular push the pin through the fabric to be held, then flip the ring down so that the pin comes up through the gap, and then rotate the ring so as to hold the cloth on the pin.)
 |
 |
The Vigornia website by Dean Crawford has a large number of high quality images of different Roman Brooches and can be accessed here