A bronze leg reveals a Roman statue in Scotland
· BehindLines newsroom
A gilded bronze leg pulled from a Scottish bog more than two centuries ago is thought to be the last trace of an equestrian statue of Emperor Antoninus Pius. According to a National Museums Scotland statement, which Live Science picked up, specialists have reconstructed the whole sculpture ahead of a new exhibition.
An old find, read in a new way
The museum says the "Milsington leg" was discovered in 1820 near Hawick, in southern Scotland. This larger-than-life calf and booted foot dates to the AD 140s. For over two centuries it was believed to be loot from farther south, perhaps from the Roman town of York. The museum and Live Science note that imperial statues were in fact set up in forts along the empire's frontier, which makes a Scottish origin plausible.
A careful dismantling
According to the museum, when the top of the leg was examined, no cut marks showed up: the piece is still in the state in which it was cast. Gilding is missing around the knee, which suggests a tunic or cloak covered that area. Curators argue that the lack of cuts sets the removal apart from a statue destroyed after a battle or chopped up for scrap. They see instead a deliberate removal as the Romans pulled out of the south of Scotland in the AD 160s or 180s, comparable to the burial of the Inveresk Mithras altars.
Why Antoninus Pius?
The museum explains that Antoninus Pius commemorated only one foreign campaign with the title "imperator": his conquest of southern Scotland. The statue would have resembled the famous monument in Rome of his successor, Marcus Aurelius. Fraser Hunter, principal curator at the museum, says this reading changes our understanding of Rome's second attempt to conquer Scotland, and asks where the rest of the statue is.
On show at the museum
The leg, the Inveresk altars and other pieces go on display from 14 November at the National Museum of Scotland, in the exhibition "Roman Scotland", subtitled "Life on the Edge of Empire", according to Live Science.
Why it matters
This remains the curators' interpretation: the museum itself wonders where the rest of the statue is. It does show how a long-known object can take on a new meaning when new comparisons become possible.