ROMAN MINIATURE OBJECT

43

A Roman copper alloy miniature axe dating to the period c. AD 43 - 410. The axehead is rectangular with rounded corners and a slight curve along the length of the blade. It measures 13.9mm in length and is 4.1mm wide and tapers in thickness from 1.75mm at the butt to 0.4mm at the cutting edge. The handle is rectangular with rounded ends and is bent along its length. It measures 36.2mm in length and is 155mm wide. It is circular in cross-section.The axe has a mottled brown and green patina.C.f. WILT-02CA51 for a similarly shaped example on the database. Green (1981, 258) suggests that in a Romano-Celtic context, votive axes may have been good luck charms, although it should be remembered that interpreting their ritual function is difficult and this is just one possibility for their use.