Archaeologists have unearthed a bronze fragment of a Roman soldier’s forearm purse in South Moravia, Czech Republic. It dates to the 2nd century when the find site was not in Roman territory, which makes it an exceptionally rare artifact.
The fragment was found in January at a site where the 10th Legion had built a fortified camp during the Marcommanic Wars fought by the Roman Empire under Marcus Aurelius against Germanic and Sarmatian tribes. The 10th Legion occupied the camp between 172 and 180 A.D. Marcus Aurelius planned to make the camp a permanent feature in the new province he would carve out of the territories wrested from the defeated Marcomanni, but he never achieved a conclusive victory before his death in 180 A.D. His son and successor Commodus pulled the troops out of the region.
Only about 30% of the purse survives, but its distinctive shape identifies it and while there were no coins inside, large numbers were found in the same archaeological layer.
“It is more like a small money box,” explains Balázs Komoróczy from the Czech Academy of Sciences. “It was worn by sliding it onto the arm or forearm. The tension around the arm kept it closed and secure.” […]
Experts estimate the purse could have held around 50 silver denarii, a significant amount at the time, but not quite a full year’s pay for an ordinary soldier. That suggests it may have belonged to a junior officer or someone responsible for unit expenses while on the move.
It is possible the purse held both personal money and what Mr. Komoróczy calls “service cash” or coins used to cover logistical needs during military operations. Based on its design, it would have been worn on the left arm, keeping the right hand free for combat.
The fragment has gone on display at the Mušov Visitor Centre in Pasohlávky along with a reconstruction of what it would have looked like when complete and several of the coins found with it.
