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This is a piece of Roman armour. It is made of small copper alloy plates.
They would have been wired together and sewn to a fabric backing which has
not survived. This type of armour was flexible yet strong.
Where was it found?
In 1998 archaeologists working at Regis House on the Thames foreshore found
this with fragments of tents and other military equipment, all dating from
between AD50 and 100. They think it was dumped here before or immediately
after the first Roman quay was built in AD63.
What do the finds tell us?
The amount and date of the military equipment found is important. It
confirms that the army was present in Londinium at the time when the first
quay was being built - there was probably a military camp here in the
aftermath of the Boudican revolt. It's possible that the army, and not the
civilian authorities, were responsible for building Londinium's first port.
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