Page:Archaeological Journal, Volume 8.djvu/246

 178 REMAINS FOUND AT LITTLE AVILBRAIIAM. (similar to those disinterred at Ash). The umbo had been attached to the shield by silver-headed nails. There was part of an iron sword-blade, a bronze spear-head, and a long iron ferrule, or the head of a framea, jws- sibly such as wis found at Springliead. The most curious feature of this discovery was a richly ornamented broad hoop of gilt bronze, with a handle, moveable precisely like the handle of a pail, and attached to the hoop by singular recurved ornaments, in some degree analogous to the cornute plates upon the Cambridgeshire relic. This was regarded by Oberlin as the metal mounting of the head-piece, or crown ; and he compared it with those of Tiberius and Maurice, on their coins.^ Traces of hard leather were visible between the lamiua3 of bronze forming this supposed crown, naturally suggestive of the notion that it had been a pileum, or leathern head-o-ear ; but, whilst the adjustment of the handle with a transverse movement like that of a pail seems wholly adverse to the conjecture that it had been the decoration of a cap or crown, the appearance of the leather may induce the supposition that the object was not a crown, but a leathern, bronze-bound crumena, in which some precious possessions of the deceased were deposited with his ashes in the grave. The use of leather in construct- in"- vessels such as this may have been, or in closing either of their ends, will sufficiently account for the absence of any indications of a bottom, as stated in Mr. Deck's notice, and the recital of the discoveries at Ash, given by Douglas. We may feel less hesitation in presuming to controvert the conclusion of the learned Oberlin that the studded hoop found near Verdun was the frame of a crown, since he was equally satisfied that the iron umbo (of the ordinary and undeniable fashion of our Saxon period*^) was an helmet. At the same time, some analogy must be recognised between this decorated hoop and the examples of the supposed leathern Penfestyn, bound with brass, previously described. The form of a supposed repository for objects of value, which appears in these examples, is closely analogous to that of the capsa of a remoter age, a deep, circular, wooden box, in which writings or other valuables were preserved or transported, and to which straps were attached. In the capscn under consideration, the handle was of a more rigid fashion. The bronze scrinium of similar form, but minor dimension, found in a tumulus at Sibbertswold, Kent, deserves examination. It contained thread, and was probably an appliance of female use.' The antiquities of the Anglo-Saxon Period are highly interesting and varied in their form and decoration. The formation of a classified series in the National Repository must tend to dispel the obscurity which, in many instances, still exists regarding their use or origin. In a previous page reference has been made to certain objects represented on several Gaulish sepulchral sculptures, a sort of little bucket, or coff'er, with a handle like a situla, carried in the hand.* Some resemblance appears to exist between these and the brass-bound receptacles found in Saxon interments. It is, moreover, remarkable that the examples in question are exclusively on tablets of a sepulchral nature. With these may be compared an interesting group of the parents with their two children, who carry objects of the like form as those on the Gaulish tombs in Lorraine. This sculpture, attributed to the Roman age, was found in Bavaria.^ A. W. ' See Duoange, in fain. Byzant. 7 Douglas, Nenia, pi. xviii. nn example with the terminal button and » W.agener, liandbuch, fig. 1014. studs nilvi-red.
 * Admirably shown by Douglas, pi. 1, " See Note 1, p. i)U,ante.