Armed Batavians article

[Peroni]

The article by Nico Roymans and Ton Derks "Returning auxiliary veterans" contains a very interesting section which addresses Batavian military finds in rural contexts. They mention a find from Tiel - Passewaaij at the site of a rural 'byre-house' (a typical Germanic thatched wood and wattle homestead) in which a lot of items of horse equipment were found alongside a fragmentary gladius fitting, part of a helmet crest(?) an apron strap stud and a lorica segmentata fitting. (Although both of the latter fittings could have belonged to the horse harness).

Here's the fitting..


This could suggest either..

A). The Batavian soldier was in fact an ex- legionary that returned home.

B) The Batavian soldier used a seg fitting to fix his horse harness.

C) The Batavian soldier was an auxiliary that wore segmentata.

D) There were two soldiers from the same family, one, the father from an auxiliary cavalry regiment that was granted citizenship, and his son (who joined the citizen legions).

I'm of the optimistic opinion that the fittings belonged to one man. However, why wasn't more than one tie loop found? I would expect to see more than one!

ps if you manage to get the Nicolay article Caballo, sling us a copy! :wink: