Brooch

This bronze brooch, also known as a fibula, was found at the site of the baths at the Roman fort at Newstead in Roxburghshire. It is a type known from Roman sites on the Continent and Britain. This example dates from between 140 and 180 AD.

This picture shows the underside of the brooch. It shows how the wire forming the coils on either side of the head was then bent across to form the pin (though the pin is broken here). The openwork decoration on the catch plate forms a step pattern.

Roman brooches were made in two main ways: either with a sprung pin which was an extension of the coil (as on this example) or a pin which swung on an axis until restrained by a stop on the head. The spring system needed a large housing to hold the spring.

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