The Zoomorphic Pelta in Romano-British Art

The discovery of two fragmentary inscriptions at the auxiliary fort of Castell Collen (pl. xxi a ) and the newly discovered legionary fortress of Carpow (pl. xxi b ) has made a notable addition to the interesting group of Romano-British inscriptions in which the text is flanked by peltae , the terminals of which have been treated as birds' (or griffins') heads. The Castell Collen fragment was found during excavation of the extramural bath building in 1956 where it appeared face downwards, reused as a paving slab; the excavator suggested that it might originally have stood over the east gate of the fort and used it as supporting evidence, for reasons which will be considered below, for the view that the fort was rebuilt in stone in the Antonine period. The Carpow fragment was found during excavations of the east gate in 1964, where presumably it once commemorated the building of the fortress in the Severan period. In neither case is there enough of the inscription to identify the unit explicitly but the presence of the Pegasus and Capricorn emblems, in whole or in part, makes it clear that both fragments are to be attributed to the Second Legion Augusta

Ancient history · Archaeology · Art · Chariot · Emblem · Epigraphy · Excavation · Fortress (chess · JAR · Period (music · Ancient and Medieval Archaeology Studies · Ancient Mediterranean Archaeology and History · Classical Antiquity Studies · Engineering · History

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