The Dorchester-on-Thames Belt and the Soldier who wore it
by Paul Browne
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1. The Dorchester-on-Thames Belt
These are the finds from Dorchester-on-Thames, discovered by workmen in 1874. They also threw
some ironwork into the river- possibly the remains of his sword…..
- Why recreate a specific belt/ grave finds?
The advantage of recreating a specific grave find is that it is difficult to go wrong as regards
authenticity- you know that these items were worn by one man, in one place, in a defined time period.
It also allows you to build a picture of the person who wore them by looking at what the area was like,
what was happening and, building on the known facts to try and tell his story. It’s the story of one of
the very last men who would see themselves as part of the Roman army in Britain. This is my attempt
to recreate his story.
-What was found?
-A grave of a man over six feet tall (described in the original account of the discovery as being
“of enormous size”)- we’ll call him Magnus- buried in a coffin four foot down, oriented SSE-NNW, with
knees bent. In his grave was found the fittings of a Late Roman military belt, a round disc of antler or
bone, with circle and dot markings, and several pieces of iron-one of which being a knife 5 1/18
inches long. The belt buckle had been damaged and repaired in antiquity and the belt fittings show
signs of heavy use.
-A grave of a woman with the classic Late Roman cruciform brooch , together with brooches
and belt fittings indicating a north German origin- possibly Frisia. This has been assumed to be his
wife.
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-Where was it found?
The graves were found on the eastern side of the old British oppidum guarding the bend in the
Thames (and protected on its eastern flank by the Thame river) and with a Celtic hillfort opposite-
perfect look out locations and strategically well positioned with the ramparts and river forming a
continuous defence. These still survive- in deteriorating condition- as the Dyke Hills south of
Dorchester. The walled Roman town and fort of Dorchester was north of this.
The old oppidum ramparts may well have deteriorated by Roman times, but it would have made
sense for these to be re-fortified in Late Roman times (an action paralleled in other towns).
There was another cemetery in use before and after this time to the east of Dorchester- but as at
Caistor St Edmunds, there seems to have been a separate cemetery for the Romano-Britons and
their Germanic defenders
Dorchester Oppidum, viewed from the North, by kind permission of Dominic Andrews (arrow indicates
graves).
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(From Hawkes, after Oxoniensa)
2. Putting it all together- the detective work
These were the bits found- how did they fit together to form a belt and what was the mysterious
circular object with dots and circles?
And what was missing?
Similar finds in Batavia – one with the leather still on- showed the basic construction. And we may still
get it very, very wrong- for example, this was the first attempted drawing of the reconstruction from
very eminent authors in 1952……
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Another question is what was not buried?
A Batavian burial in Donderberg (see picture below) has a very similar belt buried with a spear, a
knife, a pointed shield boss (with a curved flange indicating a curved shield) and a “francisca”
throwing axe. Other finds with a similar belt are found in Milton, Kent; Tournai, Furfooz near Naumur,
and Vieuxville (all Belgium); Vermand and Monceau-Le-Neuf, Aisne in France; and Mainz-Kastheim,
Germany. Apart from the belt fittings, they contain items such as a sword, throwing axe, spear, knife,
arrows, cross bow brooch, bone comb, scales,a silver spoon, whetstone, bronze neck ring, tweezers,
bead toggle, coins, and pottery, bronze, and glass vessels. These give some idea of the sort of items
that could be used to recreate Magnus’ appearance.
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(The contents of the Donderberg grave- after Nicolay- Armed Batavians)
Secondly, his cruciform brooch- a “badge of office” – is missing. In fact, no brooch at all was found in
the grave. But in his “wife’s” grave, there it is. Let’s conjecture, that just as the wife of an RAF pilot
may wear a brooch in the shape of RAF wings, that she kept the brooch as a reminder of him- and his
status.
Finally, the off-white bone/ antler/ ivory circlet with dot and circle markings. Initially,
this was thought to be a spindle whorl, but contemporary notes place it in Magnus’ grave as a toggle
or early scabbard amulet. It has been re-created as a scabbard amulet, similar in shape to other
examples from continental Europe. There is talk in some of the sagas and stories of these amulets
being used to prevent wounds caused by the sword from getting infected, and as a “peace binding” to
prevent sudden drawing of the sword.
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What else does this tell us about the person who wore the belt?
Dragon head buckles and related belt fittings are found either in Continental Europe or in south-east/
Eastern England. Some of these may well represent the presence of foreign troops in the east coast
Saxon Shore defences. The dragon buckles’ location also have strong parallels with the earliest
Anglo-Saxon settlements. It has also been suggested that these are imported buckles rather than
locally manufactured. So, the implication is that this person either originated from or had strong
connections to the continent, and may have been connected to the Roman army prior to the large
scale Anglo-Saxon migration.
The belt stiffeners are seen as late 4th or 5th century- again helping date the individual. The strap end
is of a 5th century type often associated with fixed plate dragon buckles. And the brooches found in
the woman’s grave originate from Germany- perhaps Frisia.
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2. Recreating the belt
I used the excellent reproductions made in bronze by Nodge Nolan for Adrian Wink/ Peronis at
Armamentaria (http://www.armamentaria.com/store/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=13_37 ). I
also benefitted from Adrian’s advice and help throughout- many thanks. Cheaper versions of the
stiffeners are available from Raymonds Quiet Press, but they neither have the weight and the
accuracy. Nodge’s bronze work simply feels right….
These were riveted on to vegetable tanned leather 95mm wide. It is a very wide belt. The leather was
dyed black by soaking it in vinegar with rusty nails in it- the chemical reaction with the open air and
daylight turns it quite black. For best results, leave in the vinegar and rust solution for a couple of
days. And given the smell, for best marital relations, do this by the shed at the end of the garden, well
away from the house….
The Asmolean Museum, Oxford recreated the belt with a quasi Sam Browne belt baldric, as per the
Osprey illustration below. Given a separate baldric to take the weight of the sword, I have gone for the
rosettes and suspension rings being a series of holding points- rather like a modern day police belt.
I’ve also avoided the unsheathed knife in the Osprey illustration below, which has always struck me
as a little too close for comfort….
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(From Germanic Warrior (Osprey military) by Simon MacDowall and Angus McBride)
-The sword amulet
I’ve seen several alternative write ups - one saying that this is horn, one ivory, another bone. I decided
on an ivory reconstruction- other sword beads/ amulets tend to be made of rare or precious
substances such as amber. As real ivory is (of course) not legally available, I used alternative ivory
from Ivory Alternatives http://www.ivoryalternative.com/pages/gallery.html . You can see in the
gallery a sword hilt made by David Hare of the Ermine Street Guard.
The “ivory” comes in a cylinder, which I sawed to shape and then sanded off the shiny exterior. The
dot and circle were then made using awls from Daegrad (sold via ebay).
I attached it to the scabbard of the spatha using braided sinew, with horn toggles (in the unlikely event
of any peace binding) that I made from an antler tine in my bits box.
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For comparison, here is a late 5th century Germanic sword found at Blucina recreated by Patrick
Barta.
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Some things remain a puzzle. The item marked 13 was clearly used to attach securely something that
needed to be detached for use. One writer suggests a whistle. It could be a pouch, or a firesteel. Or
something else. This remains to be made.
Also, are 9 and 10 damaged attachment points? And what is 2?
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3. Magnus, and Late Roman Dorchester
-His life
Of Germanic origin - possibly Batavia, based on the other almost identical belt finds- and over six foot
tall. It is safe to assume that he was originally part of the Roman army. He then appears to have
settled at Dorchester (his belt is 4th century, but well worn and mended on burial)- so the assumption I
am making is that he stayed to be part of and possibly organise a local Dorchester based militia,
having married another Germanic women, possibly from Frisia.
He was not buried in the Roman cemetery, but in the ramparts of the old oppidum. The original notes
from 1874 mention other burials, so there may well be more to find- in fact the 1952 article by Kirk and
Leeds recommends “a mine detector run over the tops of the banks might well reveal more burials”.
Present day archaeologists and English Heritage might disagree…..
So why was he buried there? Possibly, he was not a Christian- or an “acceptable” Christian. The Arian
heresy was strong in the Germanic peoples, for example. However, despite the strong state
sponsorship of Christianity, there are no Christian symbols in the burial. More likely is that there was
simply racial segregation in death between Romans and Germans as in other towns. This may reflect
a general distaste shown by the Romans towards the “barbarian” Germans- for example Sidonius
Appolinaris in fifth century Gaul, showing his disgust for the invading Germanic barbarians as
“quarrelsome, drunken and disgusting creatures”- describing one as a seven foot high long haired
eater of onions, who smeared his locks with rancid butter.
-What was 4th/ 5th century Dorchester like?
The walled Roman city of Dorchester (by kind permission of Dominic Andrews)
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Firstly, it was small- based on the cemetery size, some have estimated only about 600 population.
Assuming a normal demographic spread, this would leave a maximum of 150-200 of males who could
bear arms. A fulltime militia was likely to be small- perhaps only a few individuals- calling on local
civilians to take up arms when needed. Despite this, it seems to have become a localised power
centre.
It was a vicus rather than a civitas-type capital of about 14 acres.
It was walled- built in the second/ third century. The state of repair of these by the late fourth century
is unknown.
It was also strategically important, controlling the Thames where it entered the old Catuvellaunian
territory and the Thames crossing on the Icknield Way going north to the Chilterns. To quote Laycock
“a perfect spot for the Catuvellauni to defend with some extra muscle hired from abroad”.
However, it was remarkably successful in retaining its Roman heritage – two storey timber buildings
on stone foundations were still being built in the late 4 th and early 5th century (unlike elsewhere) , the
lime kilns were still operating, and the Roman cemetery was still being used until at least the 6th
century (based on radio carbon dating). Hoards of late Romans coinage (e.g. from Theodosius) have
been found to a far greater degree than other areas. However, some decay and abandoned buildings
in the town are seen from AD 450 onwards- though the cemetery continues to be used. So slow
decline, perhaps, rather than sudden, violent fall.
Dorchester Late Roman cemetery, east of the town (by kind permission of Dominic Andrews)
And when a Catholic bishop was sent to convert the pagans in 634 AD, St Birinus was given
Dorchester as a bishopric- on the face of it an odd choice, unless there were a remaining and ready
made congregation for him?
And the place names such as Wallingford to the south (the ford of the Wealh/ Welsh= Britons)
indicate that British presence continued to exist. This is backed up by the Anglo-Saxon chronicle for
571 AD which has nearby Benson and Eynsham still in (Romano-) British hands and finally falling to
the Saxons.
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“571 Her Cuþwulf feaht wiþ Bretwalas æt Bedcan forda. tunas genom, Lygeanburg. ægelesburg.
Benningtun Egonesham. þy ilcan geare he gefor.
A.D. 571. This year Cuthulf fought with the Britons at Bedford, and took four towns, Lenbury,
Aylesbury, Benson, and Eynsham. And this same year he died.”
Elsewhere and also in the sixth century, Gildas describes the destruction in other towns. “So that all
the columns were levelled with the ground by the frequent strokes of the battering-ram, all the husbandmen
routed, together with their bishops, priests, and people, whilst the sword gleamed, and the flames crackled
around them on every side. Lamentable to behold, in the midst of the streets lay the tops of lofty towers,
tumbled to the ground, stones of high walls, holy altars, fragments of human bodies, covered with livid clots
of coagulated blood, looking as if they had been squeezed together in a press; and with no chance of being
buried, save in the ruins of the houses, or in the ravening bellies of wild beasts and birds”.
So why did Dorchester keep going when other places fell? We will never know the answer, but my bet
would be that firstly, it was strategically positioned. If the old oppidum was given to the Germanic
guards and family (in classic foederati fashion), led by Magnus, then any Thames borne Saxons
would either have to fight a fort defended on all sides, with early warning given from a watcher on the
hillfort, or sail on to easier targets. The oppidum could even serve as a bolt hole if the main town were
seriously under threat. The strategic positioning of Dorchester covering the Thames crossing for the
Icknield way also made it important and worth re-inforcing.
Secondly, Dorchester Roman town was set back from the water on the old Roman road, away from
river borne attack.
And thirdly, it is just possible that the leadership and organisation of Dorchester and its defences was
simply better done. People and leaders make a difference.
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Time line
I have combined fact here with conjecture on Magnus- hopefully bringing him and Late Roman
Dorchester to life.
Date Dorchester Britannia & Roman Empire
374 AD Born in Germania
394 AD Joins Roman army Aged 20 :
now over six foot tall, is given
name of Magnus. Brings with
him a bone sword amulet for
luck.
399 AD Posted to Britannia with field The young emperor Flavius Honorius orders the
army led by General appointed closing of all remaining gladiatorial schools ; the
by Stilicho to restore order. Telemachus incident will lead to their permanent
Aged 25 banning in five years.
401 A.D Visigoths penetrate the northern defenses of
Italy and begin to ravage the countryside
402 A.D The Battle of Pollentia April 6 ends in victory for
the Roman legions of Stilicho who frustrate
Alaric's Visigoths in their efforts to move south.
404 A.D An infuriated Roman mob tears the Christian
monk Telemachus to pieces for trying to stop a
gladiators' fight in the public arena on January 1
405 AD Irish raiding activity in the
south (attributed to Niall of
the Nine Hostages)
406 A.D Soldiers’ revolt in Britain, Barbarian forces led into Italy by Radagaisus
raising Marcus to the purple. meet defeat at Florence August 23 as Roman
legions under the command of Stilicho break up
the invading army.
Hordes of Vandals cross the frozen Rhine on
December 31st under their new king Gunderic,
who will reign until 428. Allied with the Alans and
the Sciri, they follow the Moselle and the Aisne
and proceed to sack Reims, Amiens, Arras, and
Tournai before turning south into Aquitaine.
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407 A.D British soldiers kill Marcus and
appointed Gratian as their
leader. He is described by
Orosius as “municeps”, some
sort of civic official, perhaps a
town councilor and member of
the aristocracy. He is
assassinated four months later.
The usurper Constantine III
takes the last Roman troops (c.
6,000) from Britain in 407 but
many Roman soldiers remain,
having married local women.
Their central pay is cut off.
Age 33, now married to a local
woman of German, Magnus is
offered the role of being part
of the Dorcic (Dorchester)
defence force, nominally part of
the Roman army, and settles in
Dorcic, a small walled Roman
town on the Thames of about
600 people. The Germanic
soldiers are given land in the old
oppidum by the river.
408 A.D Constantine III takes power in The eastern emperor Arcadius dies in his palace
Britannia, Gaul and Spain. at Constantinople May 1 at age 31 after a weak
Saxon and Pict invasions in 13-year reign in which his eunuch general
Britain. Zosimus writes:“the Eutropius has not only been unable to thwart
barbarians from beyond the barbarian invasions but has had honest rich men
Rhine overran everything at will accused of treason so he could seize their money
and reduced the inhabitants of and estates, sold high offices and provincial
the British Island and some of governorships to the highest bidders, and
the peoples in Gaul to the harnessed royal mules to his own carriage.
necessity of rebelling from the Arcadius is succeeded by his 7-year-old son, who
Roman Empire and of living by will reign until his death in 450 as Theodosius II
themselves, no longer obeying under the domination of his devout Christian
the Romans’ laws. The Britons, sister Pulcheria, now 9, who takes a vow of
therefore, taking up arms and chastity to keep from being forced into marriage
fighting on their own behalf, and will remain a virgin until her death in 453
freed the cities from the (see 414 A.D.). Visigoths march into the Roman
barbarians who were pressing heartland under the command of their chieftain
upon them; and the whole of Alaric, growing in strength as freed slaves join
Armorica and other provinces their ranks, and lay siege to Rome; Stilicho is
of Gaul, imitating the Britons, beheaded August 22 on orders from the emperor
freed themselves in the same Flavius Honorius, who has the families of his
way, expelling the Roman barbarian mercenaries massacred. The
officials and establishing a mercenaries desert to join Alaric's forces.
sovereign constitution on their
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own authority. And the rebellion
of Britain and of the peoples in
Gaul took place during the time
of Constantine’s usurpation.”
410 A.D.: Message received from Rome: Alaric's Visigoths sack Rome August 24 after a
Emperor Honorius tells the third siege. It is the first time in 800 years that
cities (“civitates”) of Britain to the city has fallen to a non-Roman conqueror, and
attend to their own affairs. although Alaric remains for only 3 days his
Zosmius reports Roman officials followers carry off Aelia Galla Placidia, 40, a
expelled and native sister of the emperor Flavius Honorius. Alaric
governments establish dies of fever soon afterward in southern Italy at
"independence". age 40 (approximate) and his body is buried along
with his treasure in the bed of the Busento
Aged 36, Magnus now is a senior River, whose course has temporarily been
local figure organising the diverted, and the slaves who dug his grave are
defences of Dorcic / killed to keep the location secret. He has given
Dorchester and a local the Goths the beginning of a homeland. He is
mercenary militia of Germanic succeeded as chieftain by his brother-in-law
troops formerly in the Roman Atawulf (or Ataulf), who will marry Aeilia Galla
army. He continues to draw pay Placidia in 414.
locally from the Dorchester
authorities. Invading Huns ravage the Roman Empire and
extort tribute.
411 A.D. Oppidum defences re-made to The self-proclaimed emperor Constantine III
provide safe stronghold if the (Flavius Claudius Constantinus) is defeated near
Roman town is attacked. Arles by the Roman general Constantius in the
Unlike elsewhere, stone houses service of the emperor Honorius. Constantine is
continue to be built in Dorcic taken prisoner and put to death at Ravenna
/Dorchester, and lime kilns
continue to function.
412 A.D. Magnus' belt buckle, given to Visigoth forces move from Italy into southern
him when he joined the army is Gaul under the leadership of Atawulf (Ataulf),
damaged in a skirmish. As it brother-in-law of the late Alaric
can't be replaced and is a
symbol of his authority and
Romanitas, he has it repaired
locally.
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414 A.D. The Visigoth chieftain Atawulf (Ataulf) is
married January 1 at Narbonne to Aelia Galla
Placidia, sister of the Roman emperor Honorius,
who was captured at Rome in 410.
The weak-minded eastern emperor Theodosius
II yields power to his sister Pulcheria, now 15,
who reigns as regent and has herself proclaimed
empress. She has Theodosius remove all pagans
from the civil service. He and his pagan wife,
Aelia Eudocia, will become devout Christians
through her influence, and she will soon persuade
him to exile Constantinople's Jews and destroy
their synagogues
415 A.D. Visigoths invade the Iberian Peninsula early in
the year and begin to conquer territory taken
previously by the Vandals; the Visigoths have
been driven out of Gaul, and their chieftain
Atawulf (Ataulf) is assassinated at Barcelona.
429 AD After receiving reports of the
corruption of the British
churches by the Pelagian bishop
Agricola, Pope Celestine sends
Germanus, bishop of Auxerre,
as his representative, and
having rejected the heretics,
“directs the British to the
catholic faith”. Bishop Germanus
combines Romano-British forces
and wins the “Alleluia” victory
against a combined army of
Saxons and Picts.
435 AD Aged 60, Magnus dies in Anglo Saxon Chronicle entry for 435 AD: “…
Dorcic /Dorchester. He is never since have the Romans reigned in Britain.
buried by the ramparts of the This was about eleven hundred and ten winters
oppidum he has defended after it was built. They reigned altogether in
together with the scabbard Britain four hundred and seventy winters since
amulet that he originally Gaius Julius first sought that land.”
brought from Batavia and
wearing his military belt-
symbol of his authority.
438 AD Magnus’ wife dies: she has
taken to wearing his old
cruciform brooch and it is
buried with her as she is laid to
rest near Magnus in what
becomes the Saxon’s cemetery.
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446 AD The "Groans of the Britons"
is sent as a last-ditch plea for
assistance to Aëtius, military
leader of the Western Roman
Empire who spent most of the
440s fighting insurgents in Gaul
and Hispania.
The plea, recorded by Gildas
reads:"To Agitius, thrice consul,
the groans of the Britons... the
barbarians drive us to the sea,
the sea drives us to the
barbarians, between these two
means of death we are either
killed or drowned." "Agitio ter
consuli gemitus
Britannorum,,.repellunt barbari ad
mare, repellit mare ad barbaros;
inter haec duo genera funerum
aut iugulamur aut mergimur".
No help is sent.
Conclusion
It would be fair to call Magnus- or whatever his real name was- one of the very last Roman soldiers
defending Britannia. He joined the Roman army when the Empire must have seemed eternal. He died
in a very different world. But he, his fellow soldiers, and the Dorchester town leaders seem to have
made a difference and created the basis for Dorchester to survive when other towns were put to the
sword and the flame.
Epitaph on an Army of Mercenaries (XXXVI)
These, in the day when heaven was falling
The hour when earth's foundations fled,
Followed their mercenary calling,
And took their wages, and are dead.
Their shoulders held the sky suspended;
They stood, and earth's foundations stay;
What God abandoned, these defended,
And saved the sum of things for pay.
A.E. Housman
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Bibliography
Three Early Saxon graves from Dorchester, Oxon by Kirk & Leeds, Oxoniensa vol XVII/XVIII ,1952/
53
Roman Oxfordshire by Martin Henig and Paul Booth
Soldiers and Settlers in Britain, Fourth to Fifth Century by Sonia Chadwick Hawkes (with a catalogue
of animal-ornamented buckles and related belt-fittings by Hawkes and Dunning)
Britannia: The Failed State by Stuart Laycock
www.digdorchester.net : excellent archeological site
http://www.archaeoart.co.uk/ Dominic Andrews, Archaeological artist
http://www.laycockinfo.co.uk/rombuckles/pages/dragon_buckles.htm Late Roman Buckles in England-
Stuart Laycock and Chris Marshall
Town Origins and Development in Early England, C.400-950 A.D. by Daniel G. Russo
Armed Batavians- Johan Nicolay
Studien zur Romischen Schwertbewaffnung in der Kaiserzeit, Miks, Christian
De Excidio et Conquestu Britanniae (On the Ruin and Conquest of Britain) by Gildas
Letters- Apollinaris Sidonius
Roman Britain and the English settlements, by R. G. Collingwood and John Nowell Linton Myers
The Last Legionary: Life as a Roman Soldier by Paul Elliott
Germanic Warrior (Osprey military) by Simon MacDowall and Angus McBride
Many thanks to John Conyard of Comitatus, Adrian Wink (Peronis) of the Roman Military Research
Society, and Stuart Laycock for their emails, for reading this in draft and suggesting very useful
improvements, and to Dominic Andrews for his kind permission to use his outstanding paintings of
Dorchester and its surroundings. All errors remaining are entirely down to me…..
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Postscript: Dorchester in 8th Century AD: a Saxon town within the Roman walls
(By kind permission of Dominic Andrews)
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