Roman Military Equipment Found by Chance at Ocnița

Abstract

The Roman items the author dealt with in this paper include weapons and armour (nos. 1–5 and probably 23), personal equipment (nos. 6–11), cavalry equipment and horse harness (nos. 12–21), possibly civilian and unidentifiable items (nos. 22–24) and a late Roman buckle (no. 25). The similarities between these objects and those from the occupation layers of the Roman forts dated at the end of the 1st century AD are evidence of their origin in a siege camp at the foot of the hill where the Dacian fortification was located. The presence of lorica segmentata fittings in this assemblage together with the parallels of the most personal equipment found in Vindonissa fortress point to the quartering of a legionary vexillation in this camp. And the large proportion of horse gear among all the military equipment suggests the inclusion of a cavalry detachment in the besieging force of the Dacian fort.