Roman disc plate brooch with letters, around 200 to 250 AD.

Description

Openwork brooch with the letters RMA in ligature (combination of letters). Ligatures are not rare in Roman, sometimes they are not easy to read. The answer to this combination could be ROMA if you read the outer edge of the brooch as an “O”. However, it can also be dissolved into PRIMA (THE FIRST). Considering that these brooches are mostly found in military environment, one might think of the first cohort of a legion, which was the most prestigious of all the cohorts. I don’t think the interpretation as a further variant of a Martis fibula is conclusive, since one would have to start reading in the middle of the letters, then go to the right and then go back to the beginning; T and S are missing comletely. Original made of tinned bronze, diameter 3.2 cm, around AD 200 to 250 AD. Private collection.

With strong pin made from spring bronze.