Dragonesque brooch

Dragonesque brooches are found throughout Britain with a particular concentration south of the Firth of Forth and north of the Humber.  They may represent a fusion of Iron Age and Roman styles.  Qualitative XRF analysis of this brooch indicates a low-zinc bronze, suggesting it was made from re-melted Roman brass (zinc is absent in earlier metalwork).   Dragonesque brooch with broken terminals and absent pin.  There is a central boss filled with yellow enamel.  On each arm are a number of cells which originally would have been enamelled.  Yellow enamel survives in some of the cells.   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.