Belt set, military belt set

A copper alloy chip-carved belt set comprising five elements: two belt plates, two plates containing the buckle and a strap end.

The set comes from the cingulum, the belt worn by soldiers as a badge of office from the 4th century onwards. This belt set was found on an adult male skeleton buried in the Roman city of London. It is made of expensive materials, ornately decorated. This indicates that the owner was probably a high ranking official in the Roman administration. The belt plates are adorned with scrolls and mythical animals in a style that shows they were made in Germany. Thus their owner might also have come from one of the German provinces of the Roman Empire.