Descriptions

This Iron Age brooch is a rare find from Devon as it is so well preserved, as the county’s acidic soils have destroyed most of the metalwork from that time. It is also the only known example of this type of brooch from the region, as most ‘Aesica’ brooches are found in the North and East of England. The brooch is made in two pieces for movement and flexibility, and the ‘La Tene’ style and decoration is typical of the Iron Age. The dot decorations probably held coloured enamels, which are now lost. It dates from the mid first century, around the time the Roman army first arrived in the region, and is a rare example of the fashion of local residents before new ideas arrived from Europe.

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