Brooch · Early Medieval
Anglo-Saxon disc brooch
450–700 CE, Anglo-Saxon
Disc brooches were worn in pairs at the shoulders by Anglo-Saxon women of the fifth to seventh centuries: saucer brooches in the Thames valley and Midlands, flat disc brooches with stamped rings in the Midlands and Kentish garnet brooches in the south-east. Diameters are 25–80 mm and most come from inhumation cemeteries excavated in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Kentish jewelled brooches are the most valuable early medieval brooches on the market.
| Object | Brooch |
|---|---|
| Dates | 450–700 CE |
| Period | Early Medieval |
| Cultures | Anglo-Saxon |
| Regions | Europe — Northern & British Isles |
Diagnostic traits
A circular brooch of cast bronze, often gilded, with a raised rim and chip-carved spiral or animal ornament, or in Kent a flat gold-and-garnet cloisonné disc.
Identification
The dished form with an upturned rim identifies a saucer brooch; a flat disc with ring-and-dot stamps is the plainer disc brooch; cloisonné garnets in gold cells with a central boss mark the Kentish type. Roman disc brooches are smaller, enamelled and have a hinged pin; late Saxon disc brooches have a flat silver or pewter disc with Trewhiddle-style animals.
Reproductions and fakes
Gilt-bronze saucer brooches are reproduced from moulds of museum pieces with an even, bright gilding and no wear on the high points; genuine gilding survives in the recesses and is worn from the rim and spirals. Garnet brooches are faked with glass and modern gold, so check the garnets for the fine foil backing and the cells for hand-cut irregularity.
Cite this article
Stratum Study. "Anglo-Saxon disc brooch" (Artifact type). Stratum Study pack 2026.09, as of 2026-09-21. https://stratum.black/study/types/anglo-saxon-disc-brooch. Accessed 2026-09-21.
@misc{stratum-anglo-saxon-disc-brooch,
title = {Anglo-Saxon disc brooch},
author = {{Stratum Study}},
howpublished = {\url{https://stratum.black/study/types/anglo-saxon-disc-brooch}},
year = {2026},
note = {Artifact type article, Stratum Study pack 2026.09, as of 2026-09-21; sources: stratum, commons. Accessed 2026-09-21.}
} Citations carry the pack version and the article's as-of date so they resolve to the same text later. The facts themselves belong to the sources listed below; cite those for the science.