172 REPORTS ON THE STATE OP SCIENCE. — 1915. 



the vertical depth from the top of the bow to the bottom of the catch- 

 plate being only 13 mm. The bow is ornamented with three parallel 

 grooves arranged lengthwise which terminates in two slight transverse 

 incisions at the catch-end. The tip of the retroflected end almost 

 touches the front of the bow, at a point where there is a decided hollow 

 in the bow. The up-turned end has two flat, circular enlargements ; 

 all the other parts of the catch-plate and nose are ornamented with 

 transverse ribbing. This brooch was found on the W. margin of the 

 superimposed hearths in Mound IX., depth 3'5 ft. below the surface. 



(EE 10). Fibula of the first century a.d., showing a blending of 

 Late-Celfcic with Koman art, and having a hinge-pin; length 47 mm. 

 The tapering bow and nose make an ogee curve. As in EE 9, two 

 trpjisverse grooves occur at the point where, in brooches of earlier type, 

 the retroflected end was attached to the bow. This specimen was 

 found in Mound XII., on the top floor, 1"2 ft. below the surface. A 

 similar fibula was found on Ham Hill (Taunton Museum) and has 

 been figured.* 



Last September Meare also produced an ornamented finger-ring of 

 flat bronze {Vj 74) ; half a wire ring — not for finger (E 72) ; and a circular 

 ring (E 73), external diameter 49 mm., the ends connected by means 

 of a rivet (rivet missing, hole remaining). The greater part of this solid 

 ring is ' lobed ' the whole way round the surfaces of the material. It 

 belongs, perhaps, to the earliest La Tfene period. 



Iron. — The iron objects found this season were few, and included 

 the greater part of a sickle (I 52), pieces of rings, and a large ferrule 

 of flat iron (I 53). 



Lead and Tin. — A rough leaden ring (L 10), and a lump of galena 

 (L9). 



Glass Beads. — Fifty beads have already been found at Meare — twice 

 as many as were collected in the whole of the excavations at Glaston- 

 bury. Twelve were found last September, and they include a new 

 type in black paste (G 50), ornamented with a row of large dots and 

 circles in relief (the circles overlap one another). There are four small 

 ring-beads of a yellow paste, a blue bead (G 39), a globular blue bead 

 inlaid with yellow spirals (G 46), three of clear glass with yellow spirals, 

 and two of clear glass with yellow wave-pattern. One of the latter 

 (G 41) is drilled transversely from one side, but this hole does not meet 

 the main hole of the bead. This new feature occurs also in the blue 

 and yellow bead, the sides of which have two fairly deep circular 

 depressions and traces of a third just begun. 



Kimmeridge Shale. — Parts of eleven armlets (K 35 to K 45), the 

 material varying in thickness from 6 mm. to 19'5 mm. The greater 

 part of the plain armlets K 37 and K 43 were found. Two pieces orna- 

 mented with double oblique grooves, from Mound IX., may belong to 

 the same bracelet. K 39 represents rather more than one-quarter of 

 a large stout armlet (not lathe-turned), composed of shale measuring 

 19"5 mm. by 14 mm. Its moulded edges are ornamented, one with a 

 zigzag/ pattern, the other with transverse hatching. 



* Proc. Som. Arch. Soc, LVI. ii. plate facing p. 55, fig. 7. 



