Conservators At The National Museums Scotland Recently Finished Reconstructing An “Incredibly Rare” Segment Of A Roman Soldier’s Armor That’s 1,800-Years-Old
For several weeks, conservators at the National Museums Scotland have been working tirelessly to reconstruct a 1,800-year-old segment of a Roman soldier’s armor that had been broken into a hundred little fragments.
Recently, their work was completed, and the ancient armor is set to be displayed in an upcoming Roman army exhibition when it goes on loan to the British Museum in London.
Experts have compared the armor to an “ancient jigsaw puzzle” and stated that it is “incredibly rare.” The brass armor dates back to the second century, sometime between 100 to 200 A.D.
The shattered pieces were dispersed throughout Trimontium, an archaeological site southeast of Edinburgh that was once the location of a Roman fort. Archaeologists discovered the fragments in 1906.
Ever since then, the fragments have been housed at the National Museums Scotland. For the last 25 years, the upper portion of the armor has been on display at the museum, while the lower portion was on loan to the Trimontium Museum.
“This is an incredibly rare object, and it’s great that this exhibition gave us the opportunity to rebuild it,” said Fraser Hunter, the principal curator of prehistoric and Roman archaeology at National Museums Scotland. “The transformation is striking.”
Initially, researchers believed the artifact was part of a thigh guard that was worn by a soldier. But as the conservators pieced the armor together, they found out that it was actually an arm guard. The arm guard would have covered the area from the shoulder to the hand, protecting its wearer during combat.
Similar equipment was often used by Roman gladiators fighting in the amphitheater. However, experts say that its use in the Roman military was rather surprising.
“The flexible arm guard is an iconic piece of equipment for Roman gladiators, so it is unusual to see it as a sword-arm protection for Roman soldiers, too,” said Richard Abdy, curator of Roman and Iron Age coins at the British Museum.
Shawn – stock.adobe.com – illustrative purposes only
The arm guard is the third of its kind to be found dating back to the Roman Empire. Plus, it’s the most intact one.
Arm guards were typically made out of iron, so the use of brass for this particular piece indicates that the soldier to whom it belonged was of a high rank.
“Now that it’s been reconstructed, you can picture the legionary who once wore it,” said Hunter.
“It was both protection and status symbol—brass was expensive and would have gleamed like gold on his sword arm.”
“It offers a vivid connection to this important period when Scotland sat on the Roman Empire’s northern frontier.”
Starting from February 1st until June 23rd, the artifact will be featured at the British Museum in a display titled “Legion: Life in the Roman Army.” Its preservation has ensured that it will be viewed by many generations for years to come.
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