This object was found by a metal-detectorist in Roxby cum Risby, North Lincolnshire, and was subsequently identified by the local Finds Liaison Officer as a nail cleaner, or possibly a surgical instrument, dating to the late Roman period (c.AD 250-410).
The artefact is made from copper alloy, and comprises a narrow, flat bar measuring 47.3mm in length. The wider end is rounded, before tapering along the length of the item; the opposite end is broken, but may once have formed a sharp point. One side of the wide end is inscribed with a circular design containing what appears to be a four-armed cross: this motif might allude to Christianity, and also bears similarities to the small crosses found in the Horkstow mosaic, which is displayed at Hull and East Riding Museum (see http://www.hullmuseums.co.uk/hull-east-riding-museum).
Along the length of the instrument we find inscribed text, reading ‘ESSIMGLVS FECIT’. The word fecit, translating to ‘s/he made’ is commonly found on objects from the Roman period, and usually indicates the individual who crafted the item. However, ‘ESSIMGLVS’ is hard to translate to a known name. It is likely that the moniker ended in ‘-maglus’, a popular termination in Celtic names, and a variation of maglos, meaning ‘prince’. The full name has been suggested as possibly reading ‘Dessimaglus’, since Dessius is a fairly common Celtic name, but this combination is otherwise unknown.
Excavating Orkney and Shetland