A selection of Roman brooches

Our evidence of Roman civil dress in Exeter is very poor, and there have been no finds of the textiles and leather goods which all its citizens no doubt wore. Our only evidence of dress from this period is the series of dress brooches used here. The image shows a selection of the pieces excavated from the town. They include examples of brooches of copper alloy inlaid with coloured enamels, and one phallic brooch, an interesting reflection of what would be regarded as acceptable dress in a Roman town.

Acknowledgments: RAM Museum Exeter Archaeology