ROMAN MINIATURE OBJECT

43

a copper alloy miniature axe head, of possible Roman date. It is a complete axe head with integral oval-shaped shaft. The blade broadens away from the shaft and its curved terminal is upswept to a point, emphasised by grooves on either side of the blade edge. The object has a flat base. There are patches of corrosion, and minute speckles of possible gold leaf sparsely distributed on the surfaces. These may suggest that the axehead, if it had been used as a votive, had been re-used subsequently, possibly as a pendant. The axe head measures 12.17mm in length at the blade terminal, and 4.36mm at the shaft terminal. It is 17.78mm in width and weighs 5.99g.