admin Two roman cavalry swords discovered at a collection of metal detectors in north cotswolds, england.
The discovery was reported to Kurt Adams, liaison officer for the Portable Antiquities Society (PAS), an organization run by the British Museum that records archaeological finds found by the public.
Both swords are identified as spathas, a type of long, straight sword used by Roman cavalry during the 160s AD, through the late second century AD and into the third century AD original.
Professor Simon James of the University of Leicester said: “In terms of similarities, I cannot think of the discovery of more than one sword placed in similar circumstances in Roman Britain. The closest thing I can think of is a pair of similar swords found in Canterbury – with their owners, face down in a hole inside the city wall, clearly a secret burial place, almost definitely a duplicate murder.”
The discovery has been placed in the care of the Corinium Museum to ensure their preservation, with Historic England assisting the museum by arranging for the swords to undergo an analysis under x-ray.
Cllr Paul Hodgkinson, said: “This new discovery shows what an incredibly deep history the Cotswolds has. People famously asked, ‘What have the Romans ever done for us?’. Well, they have just given us some amazing examples of weapons used almost 2000 years ago when Cirencester was the second biggest town in Britain.This is a truly remarkable archaeological find and I look forward to seeing it in the years to come.
