Norfolk Archaeology 34 (3)

This casually-found piece, unparalleled in Britain or NW Europe, seems to be an attempted imitation of a flexible hinge-fastened bracelet of 2nd-4th cent Roman Mediterranean type. It is of solid cast bronze, the hinge pins represented by knobs, and it would have slid on to the upper arm. It was not intended for use on a cult-figure. Three plaques of red and blue cloisonné enamel provide the decoration, in a vertical plane for comfort and effect; this fact brings into relevance the Scottish heavy armlets, of which the Plunton Castle example was made to hinge on knobbed pins in Mediterranean fashion. In the absence of any closer parallel, the assumption must be made that the Southacre armlet was commissioned from a provincial smith by someone partially familiar with the Mediterranean type.

TG 0488 1115. A note on the archaeological circumstances of the hoard, in advance of full numismatic publication. 1100 silver denarii and antoniniani had been concealed in a pottery container set into a pit which, although it contained fragments of other vessels, seemed to have been dug expressly to receive the hoard. The disturbed state of the site, which was on a housing development, made wider search impracticable. The date-range of the hoard is wide, AD 154-5 to 260, with concealment taking place soon after 260. Presumably the owner had lived not too far away, and this would imply some exploitation of a boulder-clay area; the nearest known Roman sites are some miles distant.

At least eighteen variants of the English name for VENTA ICENORUM are currently in use - eg Caister-next-Norwich; Caistor St Edmunds; Castor by Norwich, A recent local ruling gives the correct name and spelling of the modern village as CAISTOR ST EDMUND; archaeological usage for the Romano-British settlement should conform, so as to minimise confusion with other RB towns containing a Castor/Caister/Caistor element.