Blowing our own Trumpet – a fond farewell to some Roman brooches

‘A-brooching’ the festive period we thought we would treat you to an early Christmas gift as we trumpet a fond farewell – the last (Christmas) post – to these objects, all of which now have headed to the Gloucester, Cheltenham or Bristol museums stores.

These beautiful trumpet brooches have been recovered from some of our recent excavations across Gloucestershire and the Bristol area. The name ‘trumpet brooch’ derives from the shape of the head of the bow, which opens out to resemble the flared end of a trumpet. Most, like the ones shown here, were made from copper alloy. Some were ‘tinned’ to give them the appearance of silver, others embellished with enamels, and a very few were of silver or silver gilt. The prominent moulding or ‘knop’ at the centre of the brooch, which is decorated with chevron or petal patterns, is a feature common to the trumpet class. The method of attachment of the pin can vary and is one of the ways that the form of the trumpet brooch is sub-divided by archaeologists. Most often they feature a separate or cast-on head loop, which suggests they may have been intended to be worn in pairs, linked by a chain or braid.

Trumpet brooches are among the more common brooch styles found from Roman Britain. They are rarely found outside of Britain and appear to be an insular British development. Their origins remain obscure, though the head shape may have evolved from pre-Conquest brooch forms. Comparisons can be drawn between the flaring head and trumpet-like motifs often seen among the abstract La Tène designs found in Late Iron Age metalwork. However, the expanded head was primarily a means to obscure and protect the pin attachment mechanism. The fully developed trumpet brooch form, as illustrated by the beautifully shiny replica pictured, was in circulation by AD 75. The popularity of the form increased in the early 2nd century AD and the type probably remained in use through to the end of that century.

Q: When is a trumpet not a trumpet? A: when it’s a Birdlip, of course!

The brooch pictured at the centre of the group is from a site close to Cheltenham. Clearly it features a trumpet-like head but lacks the central knop; instead, it has an unusual moulding to its back, which identifies the brooch as of the ‘Birdlip’ type. This form of brooch is named after the village near Gloucester, where a silver gilt brooch of this type was excavated from a rich Late Iron Age burial. The example from Cheltenham is sinuously ‘Celtic’ in its style, with a divided bow with lobed mouldings embellishing the head, and small cup-like settings, possibly for enamel, on the bow and foot. It was originally plated with tin giving it a shiny, silvery appearance.

Many thousands of Roman brooches have survived, the Portable Antiquities database alone listing over 35,000 records. The majority were primarily functional objects used in the fastening of clothes by both men and women. The bright, polished appearance of even the plainest copper-alloy brooches would have provided colour to everyday dress. Particularly ornate brooches or those of precious metal may have conferred rank or status. In Britain, as across the Western Empire, brooch use declined markedly after c. AD 200. The reasons for this are not fully understood, although changes in clothing customs or ‘fashion’ were probably the main factor.