Copper-alloy, 125.20 grams, strap end: 80.34 mm. Circa 4th century AD. A seven-piece cast copper-alloy belt set for a Late Roman military belt comprising an amphora strap end, buckle and five stiffeners. The strap end is cast with the upper edge open to accept the belt, with trapezoidal top, waist with scrolls and tear-drop lower element; on one face the surface is covered with triangular stamps and on the reverse, the stamps form a neat border. The buckle is cast with a solid loop and round-section bar to the reverse; the bar is held in the jaws of two beasts forming the terminals of the c-shaped loop; the outer face is decorated with the stamped triangle motif; the tongue is a flat bar wrapped around the rod, with a triple transverse collar to the rear. The stiffeners are formed as D-section bars with volute ends and a double volute in the centre, pierced by a hole at each end to accept an attachment rivet; the outer faces bear the same triangular stamps as the rest of the set. The use of the same stamp motif across all seven elements suggests that they represent a suite from a single military 'dragon' belt. reference: Appels, A. & Laycock, S. Roman Buckles and Military Fittings, Witham, 2007: strap end: SL13.13; buckle: SL11.1; stiffener SL14.33. Very fine condition, complete. Provenance: from an old English collection.