Image: Early-Medieval , Annular brooch (FindID 761461)

Description: A complete copper alloy brooch of early Early-Medieval date. The brooch is annular with a narrow D-shaped section which flattens at opposing points on the frame to form integral decorative conjoined zoomorphic heads. One pair is in the form of open-mouthed beasts with ring-and-dot motifs representing eyes. A narrowed bar joins both beast's mouths and acts as a constriction for the pin. The opposite portion of the frame is in the form of birds' heads with long curved beaks delineated by incised lines. The eyes are also marked with ring and dot designs. Triple-banded circumferential collars are present where each of the four heads widens to the frame proper. The frame appears otherwise undecorated. The reverse is flat and undecorated. A circular-sectioned copper-alloy pin remains looped around the constriction in the frame and is also decorated with a triple-banded circumferential collar at the close of the loop. The metal has a mid-green patina and is worn. The brooch is 26mm in diameter, 2.9mm wide, 2.3mm thick and weighs 2.7g. The Style II animal heads date this brooch broadly to the 7th century AD.
Title: Early-Medieval : Annular brooch
Credit: https://finds.org.uk/database/ajax/download/id/550275 Catalog: https://finds.org.uk/database/images/image/id/550275/recordtype/artefacts archive copy Artefact: https://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/record/id/761461
Author: York Museums Trust, Rebecca Griffiths, 2016-01-27 09:32:31
Permission: Attribution License version 2.0 (verified 2 December 2020)
Usage Terms: Creative Commons Attribution 2.0
License: CC BY 2.0
License Link: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0
Attribution Required?: Yes