Really nice
brooch, Mauseus.
Zoomorphic
brooches date from between A.D.100 and A.D.200. They are a variety of plate
brooch, a
type that arose in the first century and peaked during the second and third century.
Plate
brooches differ from bow
brooches in having a much more decorative purpose rather than a functional one and resemble modern badges rather than safety pins. The pin is concealed between two lugs on the back of the
brooch and since the space between the plate and the pin is much too small to hold thick layers of cloth it is believed that plate
brooches would have been worn by the wealthier ranks of society who wore more expensive and finer clothes.
The earliest
types were a simple plate of metal decorated on the front and these are called disc
brooches. However, in the second century they developed into a variety of shapes including ones that mimic
animals and objects and these are known as zoomorphic
brooches. They were decorated with a multitude of forms including enamelling,
glass settings and repoussé decoration.
Zoomorphic
brooches often have a
Celtic style to them and also often depict
animals that would have
had a religious significance. Hares are quite common, the significance of which in
Celtic mythology is attested to by Boudicca, Queen of the Iceni who released a
hare before the start of her
military campaign against the
Romans during the reign of the emperor
Nero.
In the third century plate
brooches started to go out of fashion, though we
still find very stunning examples of them worn by higher society.
For anybody who is interested, as a rough guide, I have attached a
Roman Brooch timeline below. Click on the image to enlarge it.
I myself have a "crossbow"
type brooch which I am very pleased with, it can be seen here.
https://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-70910Alex.