Ave!

Belt Mount, Dolphin-type, Ornate, ca. 1st-2nd Cent. AD, Rare!

Copper alloy; 52mm/9.2gm

Con/ Some roughness, otherwise, As Cast; both attachment pins intact; brassy brown patina.

Description/ Dolphin swimming left; eye and ornate tail pierced for attaching to belt.

Ref/ A&L AA 8.32

Seller's Note/ A dolphin is such an odd adornment for a legionaries belt, huh?

Ground-found in a field near the Roman city of Mursa Major, an important Roman military base located on the River Drava, (ca. 2nd-4th century) whose mission was to patrol the Drava down to where it met the Danube River against invaders, smugglers, and to escort simple trading ships safe to port.

Now, only surmising here, but perhaps such 'dolphin mounts' were worn only my Roman Marines to differentiate them from the common army legionnaires?

In this condition this is a rare belt mount and is only the third one that we have presented over the last thirty years and, without any doubt, the very finest!