Description

Summary: 1 circular ingot of copper, found at Bromham Villa, Hillside Farm, Bromham, Wiltshire.

Research results

A post medieval copper alloy reißscheiben ingot, found near Bromham Roman Villa in the early 1980s. Two further, extremely similar, ingots have been found in the same location and although originally assumed to be Romano-British in date they are now known to be characteristic of a type of ingot produced in continental europe from the 12th century, but particularly in the Post-Medieval period. The distinctively thin shape of the ingots is related to their production process, as they were allowed to cool and form thin layers which both demonstrated their purity and also make them easier to cut for subsequent melting.

Martinón-Torres et al. (2018) have carried out isotopic analysis of the more recently discovered pair of ingots, and have traced their origin to the Harz Mountains of Saxony.