Chariot fitting, whip, goad, terminal

A Late Iron Age cast copper allow chariot fitting or terminal from a whip or goad dating 100 BCE - 50 CE. It has a larger disc at one end, an hour-glass central section and then a smaller disc. The larger disc is decorated with a soft-outlined low-relief design of three linked palmettes that originally had red enamel. There are a pair of peg-holes in neck.

This object was initially identified as a finial or 'chariot-horn cap' or yoke finial. This is a beautiful example of Iron Age art and craft skill and demonstrates the importance of horses and chariots within Iron Age society.