Devicta Brittania. Fragment of a Roman sword scabbard in Krakow
Devicta Brittania. Fragment of a Roman sword scabbard in Krakow

Summary/Abstract: The collection of the Princes Czartoryski Museum includes a gilded silver relief plaque, which was originally a part of a weapon. Its decoration is divided into two zones, the upper with a representation of a kneeling captive and Victoria writing on a shield, the lower showing Mars with a trophy; the two zones are separated by a frieze with a tripod flanked by antithetic griffins. Due to the context of the find, 19th-century publications erroneously described it as a phalera or a helmet cheek-piece, despite the controversies relating to the shape of the object. Based on the latest catalogues of the preserved fragments of Roman scabbard decorations, it was possible to identify the item correctly and date it.

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