Giant statue of Roman emperor once stood in southern Scotland

New research suggests that a huge gilded statue of the Roman Emperor Antoninus Pius once stood in the Scottish Borders, according to The Herald and BBC. A surviving gilded bronze leg has been incorporated into a full-size replica of the statue for a major exhibition opening at the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh this weekend. The lower leg, featuring a foot in a boot and dating to the 140s AD, was originally discovered in a bog in Milsington near Hawick in 1820. For more than two centuries, it was assumed the artifact had been looted and brought to Scotland from further south, such as the major Roman town of York, Eboracum. However, a wider study of statue fragments from the Roman frontier revealed that bronze imperial statues were indeed erected in frontier forts. Experts concluded that the artifact likely belonged to a mounted statue of Antoninus Pius because he was the one emperor noted for paying particular attention to his Scottish victories. Dr Fraser Hunter, principal curator of Prehistoric and Roman Archaeology at National Museums Scotland (NMS), stated that the finding turns on its head our understanding of Rome's second attempt at conquering Scotland. Dr Hunter noted, "These things are really not that common, particularly on the frontier. This would have been a big, impressive monument." He added that the discovery offers a tantalising glimpse into the grand monuments once standing in southern Scotland while raising the question of where the rest of the statue might be. Experts determined that the way the leg was removed indicates it was deliberately dismantled by the Romans as they withdrew from southern Scotland in the 160s or 180s AD, rather than hacked apart in an act of revenge by local people. The top of the leg remains exactly as it was cast, bearing no cut marks to suggest a careless removal. It remains unknown whether the remaining pieces of the statue still reside within the bog, or if they were subsequently melted down or reused. The replica and the original artifact will be featured in the new exhibition titled Roman Scotland: Life on the Edge of Empire, which opens on Saturday and runs until April 18 next year. The exhibition explores life on the frontier, the soldiers seeking to conquer the land, local communities living near military bases, and the experiences of local people whose way of life was threatened by the Roman invasion. NMS stated that the exhibition was made possible with the support of the Roman Scotland Exhibition Supporters Circle.