SDO10118 - A Late Roman Buckle from Dorchester, Dorset.

The buckle is a fine and complete example of a type Iia, comprising four elements, the loop in the form of confronted dolphins with involuted tails, a plain pin, a cast openwork plate and a plain back plate. The two plates had been joined by four iron rivets. Little is known of the buckle's provenance, except that it was found in Dorchester and presented to the museum (presumably in 1889) by a Mr. Adkin, possibly the Henry Boulton Adkins who owned a watchmakers shop at 7 High East Street in the late 19th century. The fine condition of the buckle might suggest a burial deposit rather than an urban occupation deposit.