Ancient Roman Soldier’s Mysterious Bronze Wrist Purse Discovered in Czech Republic Sparks Fascinating Secrets
“Most of the coins found at the site and in the surrounding area date back to the reign of Marcus Aurelius,” Komoróczy said. “They typically feature either the emperor himself or his wife, Faustina.”
A fresco of a Roman soldier in armor. Soldiers would have worn wrist purses on their non-dominant arm to allow them to fight while keeping valuables close.
Notably, the discovery site at Hradisko Hill was once the location of a Roman military encampment during the Marcomannic Wars, Marcus Aurelius’ campaign against Germanic and Sarmatian tribes in the second century C.E. This also makes it the first such purse found outside the formal borders of the Roman Empire.
Hradisko Hill Was Occupied By The 10th Roman Legion During The Marcomannic Wars
Between 166 and 180 C.E., the Roman Empire, under Marcus Aurelius, was engaged in a series of brutal conflicts with various Germanic and Sarmatian tribes — chiefly the Marcomanni, Quadi, Iazyges, Cotini, and others — along the Danube frontier. The so-called Marcomannic Wars were initially provoked by pressures on Rome’s borders, then exacerbated by the devastation of the Antonine Plague.
As these various tribes launched raids into Roman Pannonia and parts of northern Italy, Marcus Aurelius retaliated across the Danube and suffered a notable defeat near Carnuntum. The tide eventually turned in Rome’s favor, however, leading the Roman emperor to consider founding new provinces north of the Danube, in the modern-day Czech Republic and Slovakia. He planned to name these provinces Marcomannia and Sarmatia.
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