"Ceremonial Lance" found at Caerleon dig

[Caballo]

I'll hunt around for pictures... until then...

http://romanarch.blogspot.com/2008_07_0 ... 2246005298

Archaeologists excavating one of the most important Roman sites in Britain have made an "extremely rare" find.

The team digging at part of the Roman fortress in Caerleon near Newport found what they believe is a legionary's ceremonial lance.

Dr Peter Guest said he thought the iron staff, broken into three pieces, was the first of its type found in the UK.

He also believed it was likely to have belonged to a high-ranking commander who was "not to be tampered with".

Dr Guest, of Cardiff University, said: "It's a very unusual find and there's not more than a dozen of them.

"I don't know of any of that type in Britain.

"There are a few at fortresses and forts around the Rhine and Danube, the frontiers of the Roman Empire."

The staff would probably have featured some type of decoration such as plumes, which indicated that the carrier was no ordinary soldier.

He would probably have been on special assignment, perhaps with the legion's commander or other high-ranking member of the Roman government in Britain."

[Peroni]

Excellent! Sounds like another beneficiarius lance!

[Caballo]

Excellent foresight, Peroni! Because I've just found this from the Community Archeological Forum......

A few days ago, Liam uncovered a strange looking iron artefact that turns out to be most interesting. It was taken to the National Roman Legion Museum where Mark Lewis removed the adhering soil and placed it in a dessicated box to make sure it's condition remains stable. The object was broken into 3 separate pieces, but complete would have been about 45 cm long. The leaf-shaped lower part was reminiscent of the famous silver vexillum tip in the NRLM and we thought it could be an elaborate, but iron, example of a similar kind of object associated with the ceremonial and parade traditions of the Roman army. However, after seeking advice, it seems that the object is more likely to have been the standard, or badge of office, of a beneficiarius - a legionary on special assignment, usually with the legion's commander or other high-ranking members of the Roman government in Britain. These are rare finds and the wrap around 'flanges' (perhaps to hold a plume of some kind?) are hard to parallel. Strange that a beneficiarius lance should have ended up in the top of the remains of a warehouse.



Possible beneficiarius lance



http://www.britarch.ac.uk/communityarch ... a=CLFBlog2

So- any ideas - or even drawings- as to what it would have looked like?

[Gaius Julius Caesar]

Is that really a lance? :?

[LUCIUS ALFENUS AVITIANUS]

What about some kind of a iron hinge for a door? At the picture seems there are one or two holes...For nails?

[Peroni]

Now seeing it, my money is on it being a shield grip bar. It appears to be symmetrical and the bent over flanges in the centre are mirrored in shield finds (The part that wraps around the wood bar)

[caiusbeerquitius]

Yup, shield grip bar.

[Arahne]

Similar to rather usual find in germanic graves - shield grip. Now search for umbo .

[mcbishop]

Now seeing it, my money is on it being a shield grip bar. It appears to be symmetrical and the bent over flanges in the centre are mirrored in shield finds (The part that wraps around the wood bar)

Spot on - full marks that man.

Ouef sur le visage, Peter. Next time ask a military equipment person first ;-) To think we dragged him round Eastern Europe in 1987 making him look at Roman military equipment in strange places - did the boy learn nothing?!

Mike Bishop

[Gaius Julius Caesar]

:roll: didn't think it looked much like a spear... :lol:

[Peroni]

OK, so who's going to email them??? :wink:

[Caballo]

Will do!! D D

A good example of where academics can be helped by re-enactors?

[y7usk]

Hello re enactors. I'm working on the Caerleon dig at the moment and would be grateful if any of you have any pictures of shield grip bars or links to pictures. I've looked in Bishop and Coulston and cannot see anything obvious. In our defence, our "lance" appears to have a tang at the one end and there does appear to be one hole admittedly Beneficiarius lances do generally seem to have had two but we would be grateful for comments.

[caiusbeerquitius]

Hi!
Number 13 and 14 on the pic of the following link are beneficiarii - signs. I wonder how you would relate the object you found to one of those?

B & C 2

Thanks to Michael Bishop and John Coulston.

Here a pic from a shield reinforcing bar:

[y7usk]

I can certainly see a resemblance. I will print off your pic and show the directors tomorrow. I am pretty sure that Peter Guest tried to contact Mike Bishop the day that we found said object so he may have e-mail waiting somewhere for him. The identification was not originally made by Peter who I think I remember saying that he wondered what a beneficiarius lance would be doing where it was found. I will post developments again. Thanks.