Kieran’s Cavalry Cheek Piece
Kieran Hope chose this cavalry cheek piece, pictured above, as his object. From the museums MODES record he was able to discover that it was found in Brough, which is about 5 miles north of Newark. The Romans knew it as the small town of Crococolana. The cheek piece is made from beaten copper and was originally attached to a Roman cavalry helmet. The cheek piece has an image of a figure holding a spear in one hand and the reins of his horse in the other. This has been interpreted as being either Castor or Pollux, known as the heavenly twins, who were the patron gods of the Roman cavalry. Although Greek in origin, Castor and Pollux were adopted by the Romans who thought that the twins aided them on the battlefield. The cavalry were one of the least important parts of the Roman army and by the 2nd Century AD consisted almost entirely of auxiliaries’ i.e. free provincial subjects of the empire who were not citizens. Kieran chose this object because he is interested in military history and this looked an interesting object to research.
