My personal collection of roman militaria artifacts.

[Victrix]

I'll be slowly posting many roman military artifacts with their ID and dating here. People can possibly use it for reference if they want to get into it. 😄

Not all first century buckles were large.  In fact i suspect it was only a minority as buckles like mine are way more common than the large ones.

This is a Saalburg type buckle, dated to the Tiberian to Hadrianic period - roughly 30s to 130s AD.

See Bishop & Coulston, p.97, #15.

 

 

Edited December 9, 2023 by Victrix

[Victrix]

These narrow tear-drop strap ends date to 120s to mid-third century AD and were used with the Dura Europos and Osterburken belt buckles on belt sets with long plates - solid or openwork.

They were used in pairs as the end of the belt was split in two for its last few feet of length.

[Victrix]

Dura-europos buckle+belt plate, the plate would have held some form of spindle that got lost. The form dates to the Antonine to Severan period (mid-2nd to early 3rd c AD).
 

[Victrix]

These 2 mounts would come from the same general era.  If you flip the top one vertical you can see the stylized dolphin in the centre of the design.
They date roughly 150-225 AD.The top one is known as Klosterneuberg style after the finds at that abbey just north of Vienna. They would have been mounted on a leather belt not much wider than them.  Just riveted to the leather.  It is thought that the leather was often dyed as traces of read leather belts have been found on Roman military sites in the desert. So they likely looked like shiny brass or silver color (if tinned) on a red or black belt.
 

[Victrix]

This type would be late-2nd to early-3rd century. Mount either for horse harness or belt.
 

[Victrix]

The top belt piece is a piece of  early La Tene/celtic belt
The other item is a lorica squamata scale.

[Victrix]

Its a Saalburg type D-frame Roman military buckle from circa 100-130 AD.

[Victrix]

Belt plate 2nd-Early 3rd century. The decoration is vegetal - ivy or grape vine with leaves - common on Roman stuff and possibly related to bacchus.
 

[Victrix]

This is a shoulder hinge, Type F.v in M.D. Thomas' "Lorica Segmentata Vol. II: A Catalogue of Finds".  This type of hinge was used to attach the hinged shoulder plates (surprise), of which there two on each shoulder.  It was used on Corbridge type Lorica Segmentata which M.C. Bishop dates (in Vol.I) to roughly the last half of the first century - it likely began in the AD 40s and lasted until the end of Trajan's wars.

[Victrix]

This is a horse decoration phalera.The two loops are for the harness straps.  Interesting one loop has been repaired in antiquity - attached with three rivets.It is dated mid-second to mid-third century AD. Quite heavy arround 140 grams!

[Victrix]

It is a variation of the Saalburg-type of D-frame buckle.They are quite early - Tiberian to Hadrianic (so, 30s-130s).They were used for either belt, not just pugio.

[Victrix]

A  Saalburg type D-frame buckle.  The tongue - probably in the shape of a fleur-de-lys but possible just plain - is missing.The types dates to circa AD 30s to 130s.
The two hinge-lugs were placed far apart on the earlier versions and then closer together like yours on the later versions. So we can probably date it with some certainty to the early 2nd century, circa 100-140 AD.

[Ryro]

Ooh, very fun! I really like the lorica squamata scale and the massive horse decoration. 

Recently I picked up this Greek shield boss that someone later added a loop to the top. The hole has me wondering if our soldier was taken from behind, as it appears to be going from the inside to the out:

Weight 16.99 gr - Diameter 55

Then I bought this Byzantine (?) applique that may have been a shield boss but was more likely a decoration:

Weight 17.26 gr - Diameter 44 mm

And lastly, this strange tiger/jaguar belt Buckle from who knows when or where??? I thought the emblem on the forehead would make for easy work researching what this is, but so far no luck:

Weight 2.63 gr - Diameter 20 mm

[Nerosmyfavorite68]

All very impressive!

[CPK]

Very nice!

[Victrix]

1 hour ago, Ryro said:

Ooh, very fun! I really like the lorica squamata scale and the massive horse decoration. 

Recently I picked up this Greek shield boss that someone later added a loop to the top. The hole has me wondering if our soldier was taken from behind, as it appears to be going from the inside to the out:

Weight 16.99 gr - Diameter 55

Then I bought this Byzantine (?) applique that may have been a shield boss but was more likely a decoration:

Weight 17.26 gr - Diameter 44 mm

And lastly, this strange tiger/jaguar belt Buckle from who knows when or where??? I thought the emblem on the forehead would make for easy work researching what this is, but so far no luck:

Weight 2.63 gr - Diameter 20 mm

What makes you believe the first one to be a shield boss? I'm quite certain it's a part of horse harness pendant as the size and weight is to small for it being a shield boss. As for your wolf head , I've seen many zoomorphic roman mounts that were used as decorations on furniture/chests so it likely could have had that function. Maybe it was applied on a leather belt and it broke off which could be a possibility. Havn't quite seen this style on roman so it might be medieval but cool nonetheless! 😄 

Edited December 9, 2023 by Victrix

[ominus1]

..well i ain't sure what was used for what exactly when, but i like artifacts!   

[Gordon Grant]

Amazing 👍👍👍👍

[LONGINUS]

On 12/9/2023 at 5:36 AM, Victrix said:

I'll be slowly posting many roman military artifacts with their ID and dating here.

Fascinating assortment of relics, @Victrix

Thank you for posting.

[Octavius]

Culture:                     Roman

 

            Date:                          C. 70 - 120 AD

                                     

            Description:             Iron Javelin spearhead.  Legio IX Hispana.

 

                                               

            Provenance:                        Ex. UK auction January 2005; found in

                                      Suffolk, East Anglia, England.

Roman pila tips...

[Octavius]

1. Roman Phalera, c. 1st-2nd century CE. Often given as awards , decorations for horses.

2. lead for slings - c. 1st century BC.  found in Spain.

 

3. Tip of catapult projectile. 

[Victrix]

Managed to buy a set of 5 roman (Dura-europos type) belt buckles from Mid 2nd to Mid 3rd century. Not the flashiest type but think of the stories these things could tell if they could talk🙂. Most of the buckle tongues made of iron degraded but on some remnants still remain.

Edited February 18 by Victrix

[bcuda]

I have some military items but have always wondered what these are and if they might be military items. 

Edited February 19 by bcuda

[Victrix]

On 2/19/2024 at 3:58 AM, bcuda said:

I have some military items but have always wondered what these are and if they might be military items. 

They indeed are military!  Small scallop, or pelt, plates for belts of horse harness  Dated to 2nd - 3rd c AD.

[Tejas]

Very interesting thread.

I have those two buckles. Not sure if they are Roman military or not. Both were found in western Ukraine, i.e. far beyond the Roman borders. If they are Roman, they could have belonged to Goths, serving in the Roman army. They may also be Germanic imitations of Roman miliary buckles.

The top one is silver with engraved ornaments running around the edges. It measures 5 X 5 cm.

The bottom one is bronze. It measures 5.5 X 4.6 cm

When reattached to a belt, both would be fully functional.

 

Edited February 29 by Tejas