From Middlebie, Dumfriesshire
This bronze rein guide from a yoke (also known as a terret) was found at Middlebie in Dumfriesshire. It was part of a hoard of 28 items, mainly objects for use on horse harnesses, deposited sometime in the first two centuries AD.
The rein guide is of a type known as a 'simple terret', found in native and Roman contexts over a long period of time. It is missing the straight bar which linked the two ends. There are signs of wear on the inside of the ring.
Leather on harnesses rarely survives, but the metal fittings and ornaments are often preserved. Rein guides range from plain, functional objects, as in this case, to elaborate and decorated examples.
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