Object Description
A very fine Anglo-Saxon gilt-bronze brooch featuring an intricate decorative engraving. The brooch is of a circular ‘saucer’ shape, with a shallow, subtly concave body and upwards sloping sides. The engraving on the obverse is arranged in a radial circular pattern around a central stud. A thin encircling ring is itself encircled by a band of assorted, twisting incisions, possibly depicting foliage or fauna. Another thin ring separates this from the next band of shorter and more linear incisions. The design is perhaps a descendent of the Mithraic sol invictus motif in which several concentric circles represented the sun, common on early brooches when Roman influence was stronger. The reverse is unworked and features a catch plate and a pierced protrusion from which a pin would have been attached. Green patination coats the reverse and the lip of the interior. There is some dark discolouration to one side of the obverse.
Date: Circa 5th-6th Century AD