Seal Box, Carzield

From the collection of Sir Ian Richmond, this seal box was discovered during excavations at Carzield Roman Fort in 1939.  This is an example of an officer's seal box from Carzield, small in size, made in bronze, and enamelled in red. The seal would have been used for stamping documents.   A simple cast loop joins the lid and body, and the box has a prominent roundel with a raised circle within it. The circle is coated with red enamel, located in the centre of the lid. There is a pin hole at one corner of the base.    Roman decorative pieces    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.