c. 100-300 AD. Roman. Bronze openwork swastika brooch with well-preserved catch-plate on the reverse and surviving pin. The swastika was a symbol of lightning bolts in Roman art and is therefore associated with the thunder god, Jupiter. Brooches were an important element of Roman dress, used to fasten clothing but they also served as dress accessories in their own right. Thousands of different types and subtypes of Roman brooches are attested, and they seem to have played an important role in Roman people’s self-expression. This item may have belonged to a devotee of Jupiter, probably a soldier, as he was a particularly important deity among Roman military communities. For various comparable brooches, see Richard Hattatt. 2000. A Visual Catalogue of Richard Hattatt's Ancient Brooches. Oxbow Books, p. 357, item 1145. Good condition.Size: L:27mm / W:26mm ; 9.3g; Provenance: From the private collection of a Kent gentleman; previously in an old British collection, formed in the 1990s on the UK /European art markets.