English: A fragment of the lower part of a Roman zoomorphic brooch probably dating to the 2nd century AD. Only the zoomorphic foot of the brooch and its catchplate survives.

The foot of the brooch is in the moulded design of an indeterminate species of bird. It is sub-triangular in cross section with a concave reverse. Looking at the front of the brooch its upper sides are slightly convex (11.7mm wide). They then narrow, at the neck of the animal to 7.1mm wide and become straight sided. In profile it is initially straight sided then bows out, at the same point it thins to a neck, slightly before curving backwards, narrowing as it does so, to a point that is approximately perpendicular to the body of the brooch. This point represents the, almost hooked, beak of the animal. Just before the apex of this curve the two diagonal sides of the front of the brooch have raised moulded pointed oval (vesica) shape knops, representing eyes. Each front facing surface of the foot is further decorated by two parallel diagonal lines at the point the neck begins and two further parallel diagonal lines further up the brooch on the bird's body.

A catch plate project c.6.3mm from the back of the brooch just before it starts to narrow. It is D-shaped, being rounded on its outer edge and its tip is slightly bent to one side. The catchplate is 10.6mm wide and c.1.6 mm thick.

The brooch is mostly a dark green colour although some its patina has been chipped revealing a lighter green colour below.

The brooch fragment is 31.4mm long, 12.0mm wide, 14.6mm thick and weighs 8.56 grams.

The presence of a catchplate suggests this item was originally a brooch. While no exact parallel for this brooch fragment have been found on the PAS database, Mackreth (2011) or Hattat (2000) there are examples of brooches with bird heads dating to the 1st and 2nd century AD. For instance LIN-9C8484 has a hooked beak similar to this example, whose body then narrows, which may be the case in this example. Similarly Mackreth (2011: 129, pl. 126) and Hattat (2000: 360-1) depicts several forms of birds and in particular those whose head extends from the bottom of the brooch (Mackreth 2011: 129, No.14800; Hattat 2000: 361, No.1158), as this example does.