09-13-2010, 06:59 PM
Just yesterday there was a spectacular find in the current excavation at Caerleon. These are a continuation from the one started last year in the area known as The Priory Field. This is in the south-west quadrant of the fortress, just behind the Priory Hotel. It hasn't been reported in the national news, but it was on the local BBC Welsh news this evening, so it is now in the public domain and I can talk about it.
I was over there this morning having a look. What seems to have been found is a room containing what may be most of a complete set of lorica segmentata armour. It isn't in one spot, but seems to be scattered over the floor surface. There seem to be about 40 separate 'bits' (at least that is the number of lifts that the archaeologists seem to think they will have to carry out). They are taking them up as solid blocks, encased in bandages and plaster. Before anything else is done, they will be X-rayed in Cardiff to see what precisely is there.
The most obvious thing is what appears to be a set of concertinered girdle plates. At least one of these has a hook/cast ring at one end (it wasn't possible to see exactly which it was, owing to the adhering mud - so it isn't known yet whether it is Corbridge or Newstead armour). There are certainly a number of other plates, which from their length look to be part of the shoulder protection. In addition to this, there have also been smaller finds of plate armour, as well as bits of squamata. Caerleon isn't a stranger exactly to finds of lorica pieces, but this seems to be the biggest so far found in one spot!
Mike Thomas
(Caratacus)
I was over there this morning having a look. What seems to have been found is a room containing what may be most of a complete set of lorica segmentata armour. It isn't in one spot, but seems to be scattered over the floor surface. There seem to be about 40 separate 'bits' (at least that is the number of lifts that the archaeologists seem to think they will have to carry out). They are taking them up as solid blocks, encased in bandages and plaster. Before anything else is done, they will be X-rayed in Cardiff to see what precisely is there.
The most obvious thing is what appears to be a set of concertinered girdle plates. At least one of these has a hook/cast ring at one end (it wasn't possible to see exactly which it was, owing to the adhering mud - so it isn't known yet whether it is Corbridge or Newstead armour). There are certainly a number of other plates, which from their length look to be part of the shoulder protection. In addition to this, there have also been smaller finds of plate armour, as well as bits of squamata. Caerleon isn't a stranger exactly to finds of lorica pieces, but this seems to be the biggest so far found in one spot!
Mike Thomas
(Caratacus)
visne scire quod credam? credo orbes volantes exstare.
