A Clay Gladius Scabbard from Area 13c in the Ancient Roman Town of Syene
Journal Title: Études et Travaux (Institut des Cultures Méditerranéennes et Orientales de l’Académie Polonaise des Sciences) - Year 2018, Vol 0, Issue
Abstract
Area 13c, located in the town centre of modern Aswan in Upper Egypt, was excavated in 2005 by the Joint Swiss-Egyptian Mission working at Old Aswan. A sequence of houses from the late Ptolemaic period up to the late Roman period was documented at the site. Among the terracotta objects found in one of the houses, a miniaturised clay scabbard has features typical for the gladius scabbards known from military camps of the first and early second centuries AD from other Roman provinces. Similar terracottas were interpreted as toys, attributes of statues or votive offerings. However, the find context of the object from Syene demonstrates that – together with other clay objects – it belonged to a room decoration or was part of a house altar. Perhaps the object was dedicated as a votive by a soldier, since there are some indications for Roman military presence in this part of Syene.
Authors and Affiliations
Mariola Hepa
Keywords
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- EP ID EP481525
- DOI 10.12775/EtudTrav.31.009
- Views 39
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