Plumbata

[Robert Vermaat]

Does anyone know (roughly!) how many plumbata have been found in the west - specifically the north-west (i.e. the Rhine provinces but also Britain)? The Wroxeter one(?s) I know about.

Ok, plumbata lists. I'm working on an article so forgive me if I do not spill too many beans here :? , but I can of course give you a list with places and numbers. In total I now know of 120 examples, published and unpublished. Most of these are from the western half of the empire, but I have the naggging impression that loads of examples from the Balkans are not (yet?) published. Apart from a few finds from georgia, no finds are reported from the Asian or African provinces. But maybe these are not yet recognised as such.

I noted the following finds in GB:

Burgh Castle (2)
Caernarvon (3)
Caerwent (1)
Catterick (2)
Doncaster (1)
Richborough (2)
Wroxeter (6)

A very incomplete survey of continental parallels threw up examples from Furfooz (in Belgium), Lauriacum & Weissenburg (both in Raetia), Lentia (in Noricum) and another in Weisbaden Museum. No doubt there's been more finds since.

It may be noted that the majority of the British finds are from non-legionary sites and the contexts (where dated) are mainly 4th-5th century.

List for the northwestern provinces:

Britain 26
Burgh Castle, Garriannonum, 2 ex.
Caernarfon, Segontium, 3 ex
Caerwent, Venta Silurum, 2 ex.
Catterick, Cataractonium, 2 ex.
Cirencester, Corinium Dobunnorum, 1 ex.
Doncaster, Danum, 1 ex.
Kenchester, Magnis, 3 ex.
Nettleton, 1 ex.
Richborough, Rutupiae, 2 ex.
Wroxeter, Viroconium Cornoviorum, 9 ex.

None from The Netherlands or Belgium.
Germany 4 (Wiesbaden Weissenberg, Mainz, Grünwald),
France 7 (Arras, Oedenburg, Königshofen, Strasbourg, Furfooz, Vermand),
Switzerland 3 (Augst, Windisch),
Liechtenstein 1 (Schaan),
Austria 4 (Bad Deutsch Altenburg, Linz, Lorch).

David, most UK examples are maybe from non-legionary sites, but Late Roman military sites are, after all, hard to define as legionary or non-legionary. The plumbata dates from a period when the military began to be organised between limitanei and comitatenses, and I would therefore rather say that most finds come from military sites or military-related sites, such as the towns.

When I was doing my Ph.D on Roman weapons, a few more years back than I care to recall

Not thát long ago, surely!
Marchant, David (1990): Roman weapons in Great Britain, a case study: spearheads, problems in dating and typology, in: Journal of Roman Military Equipment Studies, vol. 1, pp. 1-6.
Marchant, David (1993): Spearheads from Segontium, in: P J Casey and J L Davies with J Evans: Excavations at Segontium (Caernarfon) Roman Fort, 1975-1997, CBA Research report 90, pp. 189, Fig.5, at: http://ads.ahds.ac.uk/catalogue/library/cba/rr90.cfm .