Solid Roman bronze horse and rider statuette, possibly a votive offering.
Cast in solid bronze, this horse and rider statuette was found in a Roman shrine near Brigstock and was probably made for a votive or religious purpose.
The horse has no reigns or bit, these may have been made of leather and have since decayed. The rider is depicted wearing a military cloak and long helmet covering his neck, his left hand is raised to hold a spear or shield. His military clothing indicates that he is unlikely to represent a worshipper and may represent a mounted war god.
Several bronze horses and riders were found by men working in a field near Brigstock in the 1950s, suggesting that it was the site of a Roman shrine or temple. The site was excavated in 1961, when this horse and rider were found in a circular shrine. Two shrines were built there in the second half of the third century and used until the late fourth century, and it is suspected that more may exist nearby. A ring ditch tentatively dated to the Iron Age suggests that site may have been considered sacred long before Roman occupation. It is thought that these so-called rider gods may have formed a widespread and significant cult in Roman Britain, possibly merging local and Roman deities.
Number 24 of the objects selected for the A History of Northamptonshire in 100 Objects exhibition 2025.
This astonishingly well preserved example of a chatelaine (collection of personal grooming objects), is a high-status object made to be seen as much as used.
© NMAG
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NMAG
©
NMAG
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The Trustees of the British Museum