2D Images of Artefacts
Weapons • Armour • Other Equipment
Weapons
Pilum head and shank from Kempten, the shank being bent just below the head. Image: Xocolatl
Pilum
Two pila from Hod Hill with bent shanks. They have lost their tangs or sockets. Image: © The Trustees of the British Museum (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)
Pila
Ferrous pilum head and shank from Little Linford. The square-sectioned shank is bent just below the pyramidal head (which also has a bent tip). Image: Buckinghamshire County Council/Ros Tyrrell
Pilum
Complete irons from square-socketed pila found at Harzhorn. Both have expansions where weights may have been attached. Image: Axel Hindemith
Pila
Ferrous pila in Saalburg museum, with a tanged example on the left and a socketed one in the middle. Image: MCB
Pila
Socketed pilum from Gunzenhausen bent in several places. Image: Wolfgang Sauber
Pilum
Four plumbatae from Enns (AUT) in the Museum Lauriacum. Image: Wolfgang Sauber (CC BY-SA 3.0)
Plumbatae
Four ferrous spearheads from the Bloomberg site in London. Image: MCB
Spearheads
Spearhead from Valkenburg. Image: National Museum of Antiquities, Leiden (CC0 1.0)
Spearhead
Iron spearhead from Valkenburg. Image: National Museum of Antiquities, Leiden
Spearhead
Ferrous socketed spearhead with a square-sectioned head. Image: Museum het Valkhof (Public Domain Mark 1.0)
Spearhead
Conical ferrous spear butt from Nijmegen. Image: Museum het Valkhof (Public Domain Mark 1.0):
Spear butt
Armour
The Kasr el-Harit plywood shield, thought to be the only example of a curved Republican Roman legionary shield to survive (although it is often claimed as 'Celtic' or Hellenistic, despite the fact that only Roman shields seem to have been shaped to the body in this way). Now in the National Police Museum in Cairo (EGY). Image Ashashyou (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Shield
Large fragment of the painted, curved rectangular shield found in Tower 19 after excavation. Image: Yale University Art Gallery (PD)
Shield
The curved rectangular shield from Tower 19 at Dura-Europos in its current state. Image: Yale Art Gallery
Dura shield
Detail of the rawhide edge binding of the Dura-Europos scutum. Image: MCB (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Shield binding
Fragment of rectangular plywood shield. Image: Yale University Art Gallery (PD)
Shield
Fragment of rectangular plywood shield. Image: Yale University Art Gallery (PD)
Shield
Curved, rectangular copper-alloy shield boss with six of eight domed shield nails in situ. Image: P. Gross
Shield boss
Curved rectangular copper-alloy shield boss from the River Tyne at South Shields with a hemispherical boss, engraved and punctim decoration, and selective tinning. Image: © The Trustees of the British Museum (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)
Shield boss
Fragmentary curved, rectangular, copper-alloy shield boss similar to the example from the River Tyne. Found at Vindonissa. Image: DerHexer (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Shield boss
Oval ferrous shield boss found (together with the remains of shield edging) on the Hunerberg at Nijmegen (NLD). Image: Museum het Valkhof (Public Domain Mark 1.0)
Shield boss
Painted oval plank shield found in Tower 19 at Dura-Europos. A figure of a military god is depicted. Image: Yale University Art Gallery (PD)
Shield
Painted oval plank shield found in Tower 19 at Dura-Europos. Images from the Iliad are depicted. Image: Yale University Art Gallery (PD)
Shield
Other Equipment
Copper-alloy belt plate with chased and punctim decoration, the central boss being surrounded by a hunt scene. Image MCB
Belt plate
Hunt scene belt plate from Magdalensberg (AUT). The cut-out to the left suggests this was originally a buckle- or dagger-frog-plate. Image: MCB
Belt plate
Belt-plate stamp of copper alloy found at Sheepen, Colchester, matching examples of such plates from Chichester (amongst others). Image: MCB
Stamp
Copper-alloy belt plate with embossed lotus-flower motifs in a central roundel from Valkenburg. Image: National Museum of Antiquities, Leiden (CC0 1.0)
Belt plate
Copper-alloy lupercal-type embossed belt plate from Oberstimm (DEU).There are four rivets holes, one in each corner, for attaching it to the leather belt. Image: Archäologische Staatssammlung München (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)
Belt plate
Copper-alloy embossed belt plates and buckle from Chassenard (FRA). Image: Cangadoba (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Belt plates
Copper-alloy inlaid belt plate and buckle from Valkenburg. Image: National Museum of Antiquities, Leiden (CC0)
Belt plate and buckle
Belt plate with attached buckle from Valkenburg. Image: National Museum of Antiquities, Leiden (CC0 1.0)
Belt plate and buckle
Hinged belt plate and buckle from Pompeii. Image: Metropolitan Museum of Art (PD)
Belt plate and buckle
A copper-alloy buckle plate with hinge, but missing most of its belt plate. Image: National Museum of Antiquities, Leiden (CC0 1.0)
Buckle plate
Belt with dagger from Herculaneum (ITA) with circular frogs attached to the embossed belt plates on either side. Found with the Herculaeum soldier/marine. Image: MCB (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Belt
Decorative roundel, possibly a sword suspension button from a belt, with an embossed hunt scene, from Valkenburg. Image: National Museum of Antiquities, Leiden (CC0 1.0)
Suspension button