2023-07-09 04:00:03
In the ancient northern frontier of the Roman Empire, an almost 1,800-year-old silver military medal featuring the serpent-covered head of Medusa has been unearthed.
The Roman phalera, or military medal, shows Medusa with two wings atop her head.
Image: The Vindolanda Trust
This winged gorgon was discovered on June 6 at the English archaeological site of Vindolanda, a Roman auxiliary fort built at the end of the first century, a few decades before the construction of the wall (A wall is a solid structure that separates or delimits two spaces. ) of Hadrian in 122 AD to defend the empire once morest the Picts and Scots.
This “special find” is a “silver phalera (military decoration) representing the head of Medusa”. The phalera was discovered on the floor of a barracks dating from the time of Hadrian.
The Medusa medal, palm-sized (The hand is the prehensile effector organ located at…), dates from Hadrian times at Vindolanda, a Roman auxiliary fort in England (England ( England in English) is one of the four constituent nations of the United Kingdom….).
Image: The Vindolanda Trust
Medusa, known for having snakes for her hair and the ability to petrify people with just a look, is mentioned in many Greek myths. Roman culture drew inspiration from Greek myths, including the story of Medusa. During the Roman era, Medusa was seen (Sight is the sense that allows one to observe and analyze the environment through reception and…) as apotropaic, that is, her image was believed to repel evil, explained John Pollini, professor of art history specializing in Greek and Roman art and archeology at the University of California (The University of California is an American university, founded in 1868, whose… ) from South (South is a cardinal point, opposite to North.).
Alexander the Great is depicted wearing a cuirass with the Gorgon Medusa in this famous mosaic of him from Pompeii.
Wikimedia image, of an ancient mosaic in Pompeii, Italy
The head of Medusa surrounded by serpents is also visible on tombs from the Roman era, mosaics in luxurious villas and battle armor. For example, in the famous first-century mosaic of Alexander the Great from Pompeii, Alexander is depicted with the face of Medusa on his breastplate.
Medusa is also depicted on other Roman-era phalerae, but the details vary. For example, the Vindolanda Medusa has wings on its head. “This probably indicates she has the ability to fly, much like Mercury has little wings on her helmet,” Pollini explained.
Silver phaleras of the Roman soldier Titus Flavius Festus in the Neues Museum (des Staatliche Museen) in Berlin. Two heads of Medusa are depicted in the second row of the exhibit either side of a horned head of Ammon Zeus.
Image: John Pollini
The phalerae were awarded for “combat value”. The military fastened them on straps and wore them in local parades. “There aren’t many, obviously, because they were precious metal,” Pollini explained. “Most of them were probably melted down followingwards.”
The Vindolanda phalera seems to have been lost. “It’s not something you throw away,” Pollini said. The silver artifact is currently in storage at Vindolanda’s laboratory. It will be part of the 2024 exhibition of finds from the site.
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