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Giant statue of Roman emperor once stood in the Scottish Borders
BBC • • world
Key Points:
- New research suggests a giant gilded statue of Roman Emperor Antoninus Pius once stood in the Scottish Borders, challenging previous beliefs that a bronze leg found in 1820 originated from further south in England.
- The leg, dating to around AD 140, is part of an equestrian statue similar to that of Marcus Aurelius in Rome and likely marked Rome’s conquest of southern Scotland during Antoninus Pius's reign.
- Experts believe the statue was deliberately and carefully dismantled by Romans during their withdrawal from southern Scotland, rather than destroyed by locals, indicating a valued monument rather than an act of revenge.
- The statue is unique in Scotland and reflects Antoninus Pius’s emphasis on his Scottish victories, which he commemorated with the title Imperator, highlighting the significance of this conquest.
- The leg has been reconstructed for a major exhibition, Roman Scotland: Life on the Edge of Empire, at National Museums Scotland in Edinburgh, running from November 14 to April 18.
