Amazing Finds

The Amazing Finds gallery looks at interesting aspects of the history of the site through the finds recovered. Themes include the presence of Septimius Severus and his household, the huge fire that burned down much of the fort, a hoard of military equipment buried under the fort ramparts, and a possible jet working workshop.

The iron ring mail is a complete Roman mail shirt which was lost during a huge fire at the fort in the late third or early fourth century. It was overlooked when the burnt-down barrack was demolished before rebuilding work could take place and is unusually well preserved. Made up of 50,000 links, the preservation is so good that the heads of the rivets in the links, less than one millimetre across are still visible.  

The shirt is of standard Roman construction with four links looped onto one and with alternate lines of riveted and solid links. The solid links have an external diameter of seven millimetres and are possibly closed by welding, whilst the riveted links are often slightly longer (eight millimetres in external diameter) and are frequently oval rather than circular. Several of the links have lost their rivets, and the terminals have sprung slightly apart.  

The ring mail shirt was recovered during the 1997 excavations at Arbeia, which concentrated on the barrack that was destroyed by the fire. The shirt had been sandwiched between layers of hot, very dry daub and therefore sealed, which is why it was in such good condition when it was recovered. It is one of the best surviving pieces of iron to be found at Arbeia.  

Few complete Roman ring mail shirts have been recovered in this country.