Metal detectorist finds 1,800-year-old Roman cavalry swords in Cotswolds
‘This new discovery shows what an incredibly deep history the Cotswolds has’
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Two rare Roman swords dating back to 160AD have been unearthed north of the Cotswolds by a metal detectorist.
Glenn Manning found the cavalry swords and remnants of their wooden scabbards, along with a broken copper alloy bowl, while participating in a metal detectorist rally in March.
The weapons are middle imperial Roman swords commonly referred to as a spatha, according to professor Simon James from Leicester University who assessed the swords.
These swords, he said, were in use in the Roman world likely from about 160 AD, through the later second century and far into the third century AD.
“This new discovery shows what an incredibly deep history the Cotswolds has... This is truly a remarkable archaeological find and I can’t wait for visitors to see them on display in the years to come,” Cotswolds district councillor Paul Hodgkinson said.
The length of the swords indicate they were cavalry weapons intended for use on horseback.
During this time, it was “not illegal” for civilians to own such weapons and to carry them for travelling.
This was because Roman provinces were plagued with banditry around the time, experts said.
“In terms of parallels, I can’t think of finds of more than one sword being deposited in any similar circumstance from Roman Britain,” professor James said.
“The closest that springs to mind was a pair of similar swords found in Canterbury – with their owners, face down in a pit within the city walls, clearly a clandestine burial, almost certainly a double murder,” he said.
The finds have been deposited with the Corinium museum to ensure their preservation, with experts arranging for the swords to undergo further analysis under X-ray.
Further archaeological analysis at the dig site in the north of the Cotswolds may follow.
This would help put the swords into context, as it is not yet known how and why they ended up buried in the Cotswolds, the district council said in a statement.
The discovery comes as a cache of “excellently preserved” 1,900-year-old Roman swords were unearthed in a cave near the Dead Sea by archaeologists in Israel earlier this month.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments