English: An incomplete Late Iron Age/ Early Roman (AD 1-50) Knickfibel brooch, a continental type using the Colchester spring gear and with little wings (Hattatt, 1987; Brooches of Antiquity, p.30, ref.754). It is missing the pin and half the coils (about 4), and the curl of the catchplate. The brooch measures 59.38mm in length and weighs 7.92g.

The wings span 15.66mm and are plain and undecorated. They are flat to the reverse (visible where half the coils are missing) but also thickened and angled slightly when viewed underneath. The surviving coil extends slightly outside the edge of its wing. The chord has been bent around, where the missing coils would have been. The remaining coils (four) carry traces of iron staining, and further iron staining is apparent inside them.

The bow projects forward, lozenge-shaped in cross-section (4.12x3.43mm), at c.90 degrees. Although worn, decoration in the form of a central mid-rib with tiny transverse grooves is apparent. At its sharply-angled bend is a circular moulding (7.19x7.09mm) with slimmer moulded rib below. The lower bow is plain, pointed-oval in cross-section (5.152.48mm) and narrows slightly to the rounded end, 3.75mm wide. To the reverse the catchplate extends from the centre of the lower bow and is c.25mm long and max.8.28mm deep.

Hattatt comments this type is mainly centred on the Rhineland and was of comparatively short life, covering the first half of the first century AD. Bayley and Butcher further comment (2004, Roman Brooches in Britain: A technological and typological study based on the Richborough collection, p 148) that this type of brooch is likely to have come with the army since they are common on the forts of the Rhine-Danube frontier.

Cf. Hattatt no.754. Other Knickfibel brooches on this database are <a href="/database/artefacts/record/id/12135">NLM4673</a>, <a href="/database/artefacts/record/id/175217">NMS-11E8C1</a>, <a href="/database/artefacts/record/id/210762">LIN-3EB844</a> and <a href="/database/artefacts/record/id/261602">NMS-B7F193</a>.