handle and chain

Description
Copper alloy arrangement of two loop handles interlinked with a ring. The handles take the form of birds' heads.
Bowl escutcheon consisting of two stylized swans' heads held at the neck by an annular circular-sectioned ring. Each swan's head emerges from a triangular-sectioned strip which tapers to a point and has a short central projection curving up towards the bird's beak in order to stop the ring slipping out of position. The curve of the strips indicates that the escutcheon came from a vessel with bellied walls like a bowl, rather than from a straight-sided bucket. The eyes are incised dots.
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Object detail

Department
Object/Archaeology
Measurement details
Dimensions:0 - Whole:Dia 2cm (Dia 13/16")
Documentation notes
"This is an unusual piece, the simplicity of which is reminiscent of 1st century BC-AD Celtic metalwork (cf Jacobsthal 1969, pls.174-5), but the escutcheon type is closer to the late Roman and Anglo Saxon hanging bowl forms. Escutcheons with birds' head hooks from both periods are usually used singly with the head emerging from a disc or ring plate: see Kendrick 1932, figs 4 & 5. An escutcheon in the shape of a three-dimensional duck or swan is known from a Roman context at Wallsend fort (Daniels forthcoming) with a comparable form appearing in Anglo Saxon contexts on hanging bowls of Longley's (1975) type 5. This had a long period of production from the 4th to the 7th century AD, but from examples found in situ also appear to have been used singly: see for example Chessel Down and Skomrok, Norway in Kendrick 1932, pl.II, 1 & 2." [L.Allason-Jones]
Field collection reference
CM76.62
Site Type
Site
fort annexe
Accession number
1999-012-079

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