This is a Roman mount made of copper alloy and probably dating to between AD 200 and 300. It was discovered by a metal-detectorist near Doulting in Somerset and recently remotely recorded for the Portable Antiquities Scheme.
The mount is circular and divided into three separate sections by two raised concentric rings. In the centre is a raised knop, with five equidistant spokes radiating out from it. The area between the spokes appears to have once been decorated, but this is now lost. The middle ring is decorated with a repeating incised hatched design of continuous Xs, and the outer rings have the same pattern, but presented in two rows instead of one. The outer edge of the mount is raised to be level with the inner raised rings.
While on the whole the mount is in good condition, the outer edge has a few chips, revealing a bright green patina, and although the whole surface of the object was once gilded there are today a few large areas where this gilding has been lost. Additionally, three small holes on the back of the mount (one in the centre and one on either side) suggest there were once attachments that have not survived.
Roman brooches with a similar spoked disc design are known from this period with several examples recorded on the PAS database, including ones from Wiltshire (WILT-E7C854), West Berkshire (LANCUM-254F64), and Hampshire (HAMP-C8C730). The fixing on the back of this object, as well as its larger size (c.40mm in diameter), however, suggest that this example was not a brooch but rather a mount. No directly comparable objects are currently known.
For more information on this mount, see www.finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/record/id/1024979 or search for LVPL-5CA582 on the PAS database.
The Portable Antiquities Scheme is an initiative, funded by the DCMS, to encourage the voluntary recording of archaeological objects found by members of the public in England and Wales. For more information on the Scheme, and to browse its database of over 1.5 million finds, visit www.finds.org.uk. Information for this find was provided by Heather Beeton, Finds Liaison Officer – Cheshire, Greater Manchester, and Merseyside – based at the Museum of Liverpool.
