IRON AGE SETTLEMENT AND ROMAN ACTIVITY AT BRICKLEY LANE, DEVIZES 



227 



Fig. 8 Iron Age and Roman objects 



exhibit fine blade scars, platform abrasion and one 

 clearly has had a rejuvenation tablet removed. The 

 presence of blade cores, yet absence of blades in 

 the assemblage, is peculiar, although the small 

 assemblage size, and the possibility of inadvertent 

 collection bias may be distorting the picture 

 somewhat. A total of 1 1 flints were broken and five 

 flints were burnt. 



Metal objects 



by Kate Atherton 



38 metal objects, all in a poor and fragmentary 

 condition, were recovered from the excavation. With 

 the exception of a Roman coin, all were iron. The 

 greater part of the assemblage comprises a 

 collection of 24 fragmentary nails which were 

 mainly recovered from late post-medieval layers. A 

 further five objects were small undiagnostic pieces 

 of sheet or strip which are fully described in the 

 archive catalogue and are not further considered in 

 this report. Similarly an undiagnostic broken hook 

 or holdfast found in a late post-medieval context is 

 also catalogued in the archive report. 



The remaining eight objects relate to occupation 

 of the site during the Iron Age and Romano-British 

 periods. The Iron Age objects comprise an iron 



100mm 



brooch pin, a pick head and a curved hooked blade. 

 The Roman objects consist of a coin, a catapult 

 bolt-head, a hobnail and two possible cleats from a 

 Roman boot. 



The Iron Age objects 



The iron brooch pin (sf 9) was found in an Iron 

 Age post-hole (15) and would have been part of a 

 La Tene brooch. These brooches were commonly 

 made from iron or copper alloy throughout the Iron 

 Age. The pin is 60mm long and expands at the head 

 to form part of the spring. However, it is in a heavily 

 deteriorated condition and even the x-radiograph 

 does not aid identification or closer dating. 



Tools are comparatively rare finds from Iron Age 

 contexts. The socketed hooked blade and handle 

 (sf 21, Figure 8.1) was found in three pieces in an 

 Iron Age post-hole in Area 1 (fill 299 of posthole 

 298). The curved blade is approximately 90mm 

 long, with a span of 125mm, and the handle socket 

 has a rectangular section and an open V-shaped slot 

 down the centre. The end of the socket is damaged 

 but the x-radiograph suggests that the handle may 

 have been secured with a rivet. Similar implements 

 have been found from other Iron Age and Roman 

 sites, including Thornhill Farm, Fairford, 

 Gloucestershire (Boyle forthcoming, no. 76) and 



