Brooch, Birrens

This broach was found in a field North East of Birrens Fort, and is a bronze item used as a decorative clothes fastener.  Remains of red enamel can be seen. The brooch features ornament in relief of Hercules holding the Gorgon's head. Hercules was highly regarded in Roman culture, and was also believed during various periods to be a deity, worthy of religious veneration. He was associated with children and childbirth, primarily through a reputation for having fathered many offspring.    Roman decorative pieces from clothing, horse harness and armour.   Copper alloy objects were often tinned or silvered. Tinning simply requires the object to be dipped in molten tin, while silvering was achieved by beating out silver foil and attaching it to the object with lead/tin solder. Tinning was used for helmets, scabbard and belt fittings, cavalry harness and even armour. Silvering was used on cavalry equipment. Dagger sheaths were sometimes decorated with silver, brass or gold inlays. From the second century AD onwards enamel inlay became popular.