Detectorist finds two 1,800-year-old Roman cavalry swords
Categories: Nálezy nejenom s detektorem ve Velké Británii a Irsku
Glenn Manning discovered two Roman swords of the Spath type using a metal detector. They were in use in Britain from about the middle of the 2nd to the end of the 3rd century. The swords and their accessories were stored in their wooden scabbards, a small part of which survives. Experts are talking about an unprecedented find...
Glenn Manning discovered the swords, along with a broken copper alloy bowl, during a mass detectorist operation in the north Cotswolds. He and the landowner agreed to waive their claim to the reward and donate the swords to the Corinium Museum in Cirencester so they could be displayed near the site of the find. The weapons are currently being conserved at the museum. Further archaeological investigation of the wider north Cotswold area is likely to follow, which will hopefully help place the swords in their historical context.
The relatively large size of the swords suggests that they are cavalry weapons. Ordinary citizens were not allowed to own and carry such swords when travelling, as Roman provinces were plagued by bandits: "In terms of parallels, I can't imagine finding more than one sword deposited in similar circumstances from Roman Britain," said Professor Simon James of the University of Leicester. "The closest I could think of was a pair of similar swords found in Canterbury with their owners. They were lying face down in a pit between the city walls, clearly a secret burial, almost certainly a double murder."
"This new discovery shows what an incredibly deep history the Cotswolds have. People have been asking, 'What did the Romans ever do for us?' Well, they've just given us some amazing examples of weapons used almost 2,000 years ago when Cirencester was the second largest city in Britain. It's a truly remarkable archaeological find and I can't wait for visitors to see them in years to come," said museum director Paul Hodgkinson.
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Roman Nemec
Sources: coriniummuseum.org, indipendent.co.uk, cotswold.goc.uk
The swords will end up in a local museum with no claim on the reward
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