Harness junction

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This silvered bronze harness junction, sometimes called a phalera, was found during excavations at the site of the Roman fort at Newstead in Roxburghshire. It was used on a horse harness sometime between 80 and 180 AD.

The harness junction is circular. It is pierced in the middle and has four rivets, with two rivets surviving. The harness junction was coated with silver or tin to give a shiny appearance.

Excavations at Newstead have revealed much about the layout and daily life in Roman camps in Scotland. Some of the finer harness equipment, such as this one, was probably used in tournaments or ceremonies rather than fighting.

Record details

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• Online ID: 000-100-037-088-C
• Image Rights Holder: National Museums Scotland
• Project: National Museums Scotland
  Project description   View all records in project
• Ref: National Museums Scotland  X.FRA 535
• Date: Between 80 and 180 AD
  
• Material: Bronze; silvered; circular
  Phalera
  
• Dimensions:
• What: Phalera
  
• Subject:
• Who: Newstead Collection
  
• Where: Scotland, Roxburghshire, Melrose, Newstead
  
• Event:
• Description: Silvered bronze phalera with pendant, from Newstead
  
• References:
  • Curle, J. A Roman frontier post and its people: the fort of Newstead. Glasgow: MacLehose, 1911, Pl. LXXVII, 11. 
• Translations:
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