Finds Tray – Nail cleaner

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 f