Summary

Mount with bust of Mars, from the Roman site at Newstead

Accession Number

X.1989.1.138

Other references

Original description

[MOS List, II.5.3, Organised Religion: revised object list by case, 5.3.98. Case X03 + uncased]. Mount with bust of Mars, Newstead. PK note: X.1997.530 was provisional 1997 register number allocated to MOS object. Fraser Hunter notes, 7 September 2011: X.1997.530 = X.FRA 6224. Fitting in the form of a small bust of Mars, with remains of a perpendicular shank fastening (D 5.5-6 mm, H 2 mm) on the rear. Much of the original surface, including the face, is lost, but the underside of the chin has traces best interpreted as a beard, confirming this was Mars rather than Minerva. He wears a Corinthian helmet and has a sword belt across his chest and over his left shoulder, decorated with oval motifs. The rear preserves knife-cuts from shaping the wax model. Closely-similar figures are known from Caerleon and Nijmegen (Evans and Metcalf 1992, 106, with further parallels; Zadoks-Josephus Jitta et al. 1973, 75, nos 127-8). Dimensions: H 35, W 13.5, T 13.5 mm. Newstead, Mason Collection. References: Evans, D.R. and Metcalf, V.M. 1992: Roman Gates Caerleon, Oxford; Zadoks-Josephus Jitta, A.N., Peters, W.J.T. and Witteveen, A.M. 1973: Description of the Collections in the Rijksmuseum G.M.Kam at Nijmegen VII. The Figural Bronzes, Nijmegen. Note: part of the Walter Mason Collection, acquired in 1989 [X.1989.1]. Trevor Cowie notes, 10 July 2014: the year accession number X.1997.530 is now obsolete: the formal registration details are year registration number = X.1989.1.138 & classified catalogue number = X.FRA 6224

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

Mars

Discovery / field collection

Date of discovery

Not recorded

Method (e.g. excavation)

Not recorded

Place (i.e. location of discovery)

Newstead, Roxburghshire, Scotland, Northern Europe

Grid reference

Not recorded

Acquisition

Acquisition date

1997

Acquisition source (i.e. name of donor)

Not recorded

Acquisition source role (e.g. donor)

Not recorded

Image