A boy is walking his dog and finds a gold Roman military bracelet

Rowan Brannan walks his dog on the beaches of Pagham, a coastal town in southern England, in 2022 He found a strange golden bracelet which he took homeDespite his mother’s protests, the boy, who was 12 at the time, became convinced he had found a treasure and began the search, which bore fruit two years later.

And the bracelet is not only made of gold, as I suspected, but it’s also a fairly rare piece: it’s a Military bracelet of the Roman period It was awarded as a mark of “honour in battle”. Although not complete, few objects of this type have been found in Britain, making it an important discovery that will be on display at the Novium Museum in Chichester from September.

After taking it home, Rowan and her mom Amanda consulted a jeweler He confirmed that the bracelet was gold. He then contacted the Mobile Antiquities Programme, a British Museum project that studies and catalogues archaeological discoveries made by populations in British territory.

very valuable piece

The bracelet has embossed gold sheets and is about 7 cm in length. According to experts, it was one of a kind even though it was incomplete Decoration given to soldiers who perform exceptionally well in battle And they carried it with them as if it were a medal. Technically, it is known as an “armilla bracelet.”

this piece It has special value because it is made of gold, but especially because of the historical context In which it is framed: it dates to the first century AD, which places it in the early days of the conquest of Britain, as the island was known in Roman times. This began in the year 43, during the reign of the emperor Claudius: Julius Caesar visited the island between 55 and 54 BC, but he did not go further south and made no conquests.

The island was always a difficult and remote province for the Roman armies, who never managed to conquer it completely and had to face many revolts. Britain had a reputation among soldiers as a terrible land A decoration for bravery had special significance thereAlso the fact that gold was not easily found in those parts. Over time they managed to Romanize the southern peoples to some extent, but the bracelet dates to the first decades of the occupation in the 1st century: it is, therefore, a proof of Roman merit in one of the most difficult conquests of history.

had coins or accessories made of precious materials Practical reward because they could keep them with them at all times without having to worry about them being lost or stolen. According to Chichester District Councillor Adrian Moss, “The acquisition of this bracelet for the Novium Museum collection will provide our visitors with additional information about ancient practices and, in particular, will help to shed light on the military attitudes in which Roman soldiers were rewarded for their bravery and service.”