Timeless are pleased to offer a very unusual Roman Bronze Cockerel Attachment, dating from 1st -2nd century A.D. and originating from the hitorical Roman province of Hispania Ulterior.
Measuring 42mm in length, the cockerel has a cusped, scaphoid body and pierced attachment lugs for and aft. It may have originally been made for furniture decoration.
The Roman conquest of the Iberian Peninsula took a surprising amount of time- well over two centuries - especially when compared with Julius Caesar's conquest of the similar-sized Gaul (which took a mere eight years).
Caesar's military genius aside, the tribes of modern-day Spain and Portugal proved particularly difficult to conquer, largely due to the inhospitable mountainous terrain, but mostly due to the guerrilla-style warfare with which the Roman legions were faced. In fact, the peninsula wasn't fully subdued until Julius Caesar's heir - Augustus Caesar - devastated the region in 19 B.C.
Formed of several provinces, the Iberian Peninsula remained an important territory for Rome right up until the collapse of the Western Roman Empire in 476 A.D., resulting in well over six centuries of occupation. It's no wonder so many amazing Roman artefacts come from Spain, including this enigmatic little piece of history.
Now available in the Timeless Galleries.
ROMAN COCKEREL ATTACHMENT
Acquired by Timeless of the UK Antiquities Market, 2019, previously forming part of a private collections formed prior to 1975.