Gods and monsters in Roman Scotland

recent finds of Roman figural bronzes

Abstract

Recent finds of copper alloy and lead figural sculpture from Roman Scotland are presented and discussed. These are rare finds in this frontier area, and represent a significant addition to a small corpus. Discussion considers whether such finds offer clues to the location of shrines or other sacred places in the wider landscape, a question that has largely been ignored in research to date. The rarity of such finds among the Roman imports on Iron Age sites leads to a discussion of the uptake and impact of such naturalistic imagery on the local population. An appendix catalogues the finds.