Object biographies of silver objects in the Quoit Brooch Style of south-east Britain: manufacture, use and reuse

The Quoit Brooch Style of metalwork is extremely important for our understanding of the late/post-Roman to early Anglo-Saxon transition period in south-east England. Quoit Brooch Style objects were produced from the early 5th century and occur in 5th- and 6th-century burial contexts. Silver objects in the Quoit Brooch Style are comparatively rare but include some spectacular material, such as the Sarre brooch from Kent (UK). They provide an opportunity to explore the use of silver in a localised area of south-eastern England during a period when other evidence is very limited. A close study of the details of the objects, many newly examined by the author at first hand, reveals much evidence of long use and repair. In contrast to the situation elsewhere in the British Isles, silver is shown to have been a scarce resource in the 5th century. New preliminary pXRF compositional analysis is also presented, which raises questions about craft traditions in use during this period.