Roman Metal Hair Pins from Southern Britain

This paper reviews the use of hair pins in Roman Britain and examines in detail the ones made of metal which are found in the south. These are divided into twenty-five distinct and two miscellaneous groups, and the dating and distribution evidence for each is briefly discussed. It is shown that there is a distinction between those of the early and late Roman periods. The later first-and second-century groups tend to have restricted, regional distributions whereas the late third and fourth century ones are found throughout the area. There is also a change in length associated with time which is likely to be related to the way in which they were worn. An appendix on microfiche provides summary details of all the pins discussed.