‘Ancient jigsaw puzzle’ finally solved — and reveals ‘exceptionally rare’ Roman armor
%20Duncan%20McGlynn%20(2).JPG "Archaeologists pieced together an “ancient jigsaw puzzle” of more than 100 artifacts and reconstructed a Roman piece of armor in Scotland, according to the National Museums of Scotland.")
In 1906, a trove of more than 100 brass and leather treasures was unearthed from the site of an ancient Roman fort in Scotland.
Since then, the fragments — which once made up a piece of armor — have remained in the National Museums Scotland’s collection. One part of the discovery went on display at the museum about 25 years ago and another portion was loaned to another museum.
%20Duncan%20McGlynn%20(1).JPG "The Roman arm guard during conservation. Photo (c) Duncan McGlynn (1).JPG")
The remaining parts of the armor stayed in the National Museums’ collection center. That is until now, the museum said in a Jan. 21 news release.
Museum conservators have finally pieced together the “ancient jigsaw puzzle,” reconstructing what is now a full piece of “exceptionally rare” Roman armor known as an arm guard, officials said. The guard is the “most intact example of its kind and one of only three known from the whole Roman Empire.”
%20Duncan%20McGlynn%20(1).JPG "Brass Roman arm guard, second century. Discovered at Trimontium. Photo (c) Duncan McGlynn (1).JPG")
Experts said the armor, which dates to the second century, is in “remarkably good condition.”
“This is an incredibly rare object,” Fraser Hunter, the museum’s principal curator of prehistoric and Roman archaeology, said in the release. “Now that it’s been reconstructed, you can picture the legionary who once wore it. It was both protection and status symbol – brass was expensive and would have gleamed like gold on his sword arm.”
%20Duncan%20McGlynn%20(3).JPG "The Roman arm guard during conservation. Photo (c) Duncan McGlynn (3).JPG")
The armor would have covered a legionary’s arm from their shoulder to their hand, where the brass ended in a thin square piece to protect the wearer’s hand, the museum said. Its design might have been inspired by gladiators’ equipment.
“The flexible armguard 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,” Richard Abdy, the British Museum’s curator of Roman and Iron Age coins said in the release. “We even think that the training regime for the amphitheatre originally inspired combat training of the professionalising Roman army.”
This story was originally published January 23, 2024 at 11:40 AM with the headline "‘Ancient jigsaw puzzle’ finally solved — and reveals ‘exceptionally rare’ Roman armor."
