Summary

Headstall of iron, plain apart from central disc, from the Roman fort at Newstead, Roxburghshire, 80 - 180 AD

Accession Number

X.FRA 495

Other references

Original description

NEWSTEAD COLLECTION. Mounting of a headstall with enamel led disc. "Rom. Fron. Post," p. 297. Pl LXXI, 4. Updated from SCRAN full data set, December 1998. [Scran caption] A headstall fits over a horse's muzzle to prevent it opening its mouth and resisting the bridle. This iron example with an enamelled disc was found at the site of the Roman fort at Newstead in Roxburghshire. It was used sometime between 80 and 180 AD. The headstall is plain except for the central disc. Now much decayed, the disc was originally decorated with concentric rings of enamel with a brass edging. Excavations at Newstead have revealed much about the layout, daily life and equipment in Roman camps in Scotland. The Roman cavalry needed a range of equipment for its horses, some for everyday use and some for ceremonies. Date: Between 80 and 180 AD. Material: Iron, enamel, brass. Dimensions: Width: 11.4 cm. Reference - Clarke, D.V., Breeze, D.J., and Mackay, Ghillean. The Romans in Scotland. An introduction to the collections of the National Museums of Antiquities of Scotland. Edinburgh: National Museum of Antiquities of Scotland, 1980, p 71.; Curle, J. A Roman frontier post and its people: the fort of Newstead. Glasgow: MacLehose, 1911, p 297, PL. LXXI.

Associated person/people (e.g. excavator/former collection)

Newstead Collection

Discovery / field collection

Date of discovery

1905

Method (e.g. excavation)

Excavated

Place (i.e. location of discovery)

Newstead, Roxburghshire, Scotland, Northern Europe

Grid reference

Not recorded

Acquisition

Acquisition date

1915

Acquisition source (i.e. name of donor)

Unknown

Acquisition source role (e.g. donor)

Not recorded

Image