Lion head axle cap

3D Model

Bronze, Unknown origin, 330-350AD. This axle cap is decorated with the face of a lion and probably came from a cart. The use of bronze and the level of decoration point to the wealth of the owner. It is even possible that the small holes in the pupils of the eyes once held coloured stones. Using animal heads as decoration on axle caps was not unusual and lions were one of the more common animals to appear. The wooden shaft of the axle would have been inserted into the back of the cap and fixed in place using rivets that went through the two holes on either side. Model by Historic England Geospatial Survey Team