The cutting edge of the wide, triangular blade of this mattock is rounded and unevenly worn.

The circular eye is set within a central expansion. Internally, there are minerally preserved wood traces, suggesting the handle was in situ when lost.

Mattocks were probably developed from military entrenching tools. This example was found on the site of a Roman villa and may have been associated with the cultivation of horticultural plots for growing vegetables or for digging and maintening boundary ditches and trackways.