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Style and Substance: Some Metal Figurines from South-West Britain

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 May 2014

Emma Durham
Emma Durham*
Affiliation:
Department of Archaeology, University of Reading emma.durham@reading.ac.uk
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Abstract

A hoard found in Southbroom, Devizes in 1714 contained a group of copper-alloy figurines executed in both classical and local styles and depicting deities belonging to the Graeco-Roman and Gallo-Roman pantheons. The deities in a local style appear to form part of a larger tradition of figurines, predominantly found in the South-West, which are characterised both by a similar artistic style and by the use of Gallo-Roman symbolism and deities, such as the torc, ram-horned snake, carnivorous dog and Sucellus. The unique composition of the hoard in comparison with other hoards of similar date provides insights into the beliefs of Roman Britain.

Keywords

dogfigurineGallo-RomanreligionSouthbroomSucellus

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Type
Articles
Information
Britannia , Volume 45 , November 2014 , pp. 195 - 221
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s) 2014. Published by The Society for the Promotion of Roman Studies 

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