raised plates, between which is fixed the rigid stem of the hanging ornament. The pendant is evidently a conventional representation of foliage; a central pointed shoot is flanked on either side by leaves, and the leaves have their points turned back as though hardly yet expanded. The object, slightly varied, and sometimes assuming a phallic form, is common, in different sizes, on the Rhine, perhaps more especially on the earlier sites, such as Novaesium and Wiesbaden. It also occurs in England; the British Museum possesses specimens still attached to phalerae from Reeth, in North Yorkshire.
At Newstead examples of similar pendants were noted comparatively early among surface finds made within the fort (Plate LXXIV., Figs. 5 and 7). But it was only towards the end of the excavations that what appears to be a complete set was taken from Pit LXXVIII, which, from the pottery it contained, was undoubtedly of early date. These, though somewhat smaller in size, very closely resemble the pendants on the Xanten phalerae. They are three in number, and are made of bronze plated with silver (Plate LXXIII., Figs. 2, 3 and 4). On the broad leaf-like surface is tooled a delicate design of leaf and tendril, which was probably once filled in with niello, while the berries, corresponding to the grapes in the Xanten design, have been reproduced in small points of yellow metal. One of the pieces is slightly larger than the others, and was doubtless intended to be placed in the middle of the group. It differs from the rest in the treatment of its central leaf. On the hack it has the same solid stem as was noticed in connection with the Xanten phalera. Along with this find we may conveniently notice two other objects from the same pit. One of these is a small circular disc (Fig. 1), also of bronze plated with silver, showing traces of niello decoration, and having a loop on the back for a strap to pass through. The other (Fig. 5), of the same material, forms an eye to be affixed to the end of a strap through which a T-shaped hook would be attached.
The Reeth horse-trappings alluded to above enable us to identify as portions of harness a number of examples of discs of another form. The best specimen (Plate LXXIV., Fig. 2) came from Pit LX. It is of bronze. The central portion is concave, and is decorated with six incised rays. In the centre is a small hole, through which passes a stud. On the back are two metal loops, about 7⁄8 of an inch in width, joined together at one end by a third and much smaller loop. These discs were evidently fastened upon a strap, the stud in the centre passing through the leather, while from the small loop, placed at right angles to the larger ones, the hanging ornament was suspended
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