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‘Spectacular’ 1,800-year-old Roman horse brooch made from copper is found in a Lincolnshire field by an amateur metal detectorist
- The 0.8ounce brooch was found in a ploughed field just outside Leasingham
- It was found by Armed Forces veteran Jason Price, 48, using his metal detector
- There is believed to be just one other item like it which is in the British Museum
A small brooch made when the Romans ruled Britain around 1,800 years ago has been discovered in a Lincolnshire field.
The copper-alloy horse figurine was found near the village of Leasingham by amateur metal detectorist Jason Price.
The 48-year-old found the item under eight inches of soil in a heavily ploughed field during a ‘Detecting for Veterans’ charity event in the summer of last year.
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The copper-alloy horse figurine was found in a field near the village of Leasingham by amateur metal detectorist Jason Price, 48, and weighs 0.8oz (23.18g)
The two-inch long brooch (5cm) was made between 200AD – 410AD and still has the pin attached.
Mr Price, an armed forces veteran himself, attended the dig last year when he found the broach, weighing 0.8 of an ounce (23.18g).
Mr Price said: ‘It was the last field of the weekend and it was heavily ploughed – so I didn’t hold out much hope of finding anything.
‘You can imagine my surprise when my detector started buzzing. About eight inches down I found something caked in mud.
‘At first I thought it was a piece of litter, but as I cleaned it off, my jaw dropped open. There it was – a horse brooch. I was shaking.
‘I’ve found things like coins before, but never anything like this. Absolutely amazing!’
The two-inch long brooch (5cm) still has the pin attached and will be on display later this year at the Collection Museum in Lincoln
The 48-year-old veteran found the item under eight inches of soil in a heavily ploughed field during a ‘Detecting for Veterans’ charity event in summer last year
The brooch found in Leasingham has been sent out on a permanent loan by Mr Price to reside at the Collection Museum in Lincoln.It is thought to be extremely rare, with only one similar item known to experts, which is found in the British Museum
The brooch has been sent out on a permanent loan by Mr Price to reside at the Collection Museum in Lincoln.
It is thought to be extremely rare, with only one similar item known to experts, which is found in the British Museum.
Dr Lisa Brundle, the Finds Liaison Officer (FLO) at Lincolnshire County Council, said: ‘This brooch is an exciting and rare discovery.
‘It depicts a fairly realistic horse with an outstanding level of detail and is in remarkable condition – it even has the pin still attached!
‘The horse would have originally appeared gold-like and the recesses probably once contained bright red, blue or yellow enamel.
‘It would have been a spectacular sight on someone’s robe. This type of Roman horse brooch is incredibly rare in Britain – and is the second only to have been found in the UK.
‘The only other one is in the British Museum and is decorated differently – with spots of enamel only.
‘The Leasingham horse, however, is in a league of its own with its pin situated below the legs and the realistic depiction of a saddle.’
WHEN DID THE ROMANS OCCUPY BRITAIN?
55BC – Julius Caesar crossed the channel with around 10,000 soldiers. They landed at a Pegwell Bay on the Isle of Thanet and were met by a force of Britons. Caesar was forced to withdraw.
54BC – Caesar crossed the channel again in his second attempt to conquer Britain. He came with with 27,000 infantry and cavalry and landed at Deal but were unopposed. They marched inland and after hard battles they defeated the Britons and key tribal leaders surrendered.
However, later that year, Caesar was forced to return to Gaul to deal with problems there and the Romans left.
54BC – 43BC – Although there were no Romans present in Britain during these years, their influence increased due to trade links.
43AD – A Roman force of 40,000 led by Aulus Plautius landed in Kent and took the south east. The emperor Claudius arrived in Colchester with reinforcements. Claudius appointed Plautius as Governor of Britain and returned to Rome.
In 43AD, a Roman force (artist’s impression) of 40,000 led by Aulus Plautius landed in Kent and took the south east. The emperor Claudius then arrived in Colchester with reinforcements
47AD – Londinium (London) was founded and Britain was declared part of the Roman empire. Networks of roads were built across the country.
50AD – Romans arrived in the southwest and made their mark in the form of a wooden fort on a hill near the river Exe. A town was created at the site of the fort decades later and names Isca.
When Romans let and Saxons ruled, all ex-Roman towns were called a ‘ceaster’. this was called ‘Exe ceaster’ and a merger of this eventually gave rise to Exeter.
75 – 77AD – Romans defeated the last resistant tribes, making all Britain Roman. Many Britons started adopting Roman customs and law.
122AD – Emperor Hadrian ordered that a wall be built between England and Scotland to keep Scottish tribes out.
312AD – Emperor Constantine made Christianity legal throughout the Roman empire.
228AD – The Romans were being attacked by barbarian tribes and soldiers stationed in the country started to be recalled to Rome.
410AD – All Romans were recalled to Rome and Emperor Honorious told Britons they no longer had a connection to Rome.
Source: History on the net
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