Grave-mounds and Their Contents: A Manual of Archæology, as Exemplified in the Burials of the Celtic, the Romano-British, and the Anglo-Saxon PeriodsJewitt, Llewellynn Frederick William
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Grave-mounds and Their Contents: A Manual of Archæology, as Exemplified in the Burials of the Celtic, the Romano-British, and the Anglo-Saxon Periods
Jewitt, Llewellynn Frederick William
Great Britain -- Antiquities; Megalithic monuments -- Great Britain; Mounds -- Great Britain
Other personal ornaments, and bone and bronze pins, hair-pins, etc.,
are occasionally found, but need no special notice here. Instruments of
the toilette, too, are occasionally discovered. Prominent among these
is the mirror, or speculum, which is sometimes found in the graves
of Roman ladies. Among the most interesting of these are some found
in a Roman cemetery at Plymouth. They consist of a circular plate of
polished metal, generally of bronze set in a frame of the same metal or
otherwise, and have a handle to hold them by. They are of much the same
form as the small handled toilet glasses of the present day. The back
was generally, as in the case of the Plymouth examples, “ornamented
with a considerable quantity of scroll engraving. The pattern of one
of these consists of three circular figures, the two bottom ones being
larger than that which I take to be the central top one. Although each
circular scroll differs from the others, they are evidently figured
upon one general plan; the lines within, being segments of circles of
various sizes, form crescents with various modifications. Some portions
of the engraving, in order to give solidity to its character, were
filled in with numerous striated spots, consisting of three lines one
way and three lines at right angles to them. The entire surface of the
mirror was surrounded by a narrow border or rim, which was formed of a
separate piece, and folded over the margin. This specimen was damaged
in many parts, particularly upon the under surface, and some of the
edge was entirely eaten away, but where the rim was preserved the plate
was not only in good preservation, but not even oxidized, retaining
the bright colour of the bronze as perfectly as when, probably, in use
by its ancient possessor. A second had the handle attached to it. The
handle is cast in one piece in the form of a loop, having been made
by folding one half back against the other, and securing them in that
position by a band, the two free ends being spread out to hold the
mirror, which is received in a groove, and supported on each side by a
scroll work of bronze, of much of which, although lost, the impression
still remains upon the plate. The greater diameter of the mirror is
eight inches, that of the handle of the duplicate specimen, which
is supposed to be of the same size as the missing handle, is four
inches.” Several of these mirrors have been found in the cemeteries at
Colchester and in other places.
Combs, both of wood and bone, are also found in the interments, as
are strigils, tweezers, locks and keys of numberless forms and sizes,
remains of small caskets, and a great many other articles. Of combs I
shall say a few words when speaking of those of the Anglo-Saxon period.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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