A remarkable archaeological discovery has been made in South Moravia, Czechia, where a team of researchers uncovered a 1,800-year-old bronze fragment of a Roman soldier’s arm-worn purse. Believed to be the oldest Roman purse ever found on Czech territory, the find offers rare insight into daily military life during the Roman Empire.
The discovery took place in January 2025 on Hradisko Hill, the site of a former fortified Roman military camp used by the 10th Legion during the reign of Emperor Marcus Aurelius. Although only about 30% of the purse survived, archaeologists quickly identified it as a Roman “forearm purse” — a small, box-like container worn on the arm for secure transport of money.
“It functions more like a miniature money box,” explained Balázs Komoróczy from the Czech Academy of Sciences. “Soldiers would slide it onto their forearm. The tight fit kept it closed and secure.”
Similar purses have been found across Roman-controlled territories, especially near military sites in Britain and along the Danube. However, this marks the first discovery of such an item deep within what was considered enemy territory at the time.
Although no coins were found inside the purse itself, large quantities of silver Roman denarii have been discovered nearby, helping researchers date the object. According to archaeologist Tomáš Antoš, most coins at the site bear the likenesses of Emperor Marcus Aurelius or his wife, Faustina.
Experts estimate the purse could have held around 50 silver denarii — a notable sum, though not quite equal to a full year’s pay for a regular soldier. This suggests the owner may have been a junior officer or someone responsible for managing military funds on the move.
Komoróczy also speculates the purse contained both personal savings and “service money” — coins used for logistical expenses during military campaigns. Its design suggests it was worn on the left arm, leaving the right hand free for combat.
The 10th Legion occupied the hilltop between 172 and 180 AD during Marcus Aurelius’s campaign to establish a new Roman province called Marcomannia. Despite his ambitions, the region remained unstable due to ongoing conflicts with the Germanic Marcomanni tribe. After Marcus Aurelius’s death, his son Commodus — known to many from the film Gladiator — ordered a Roman withdrawal from the area.
Today, the bronze fragment is on display at the Mušov Visitor Centre in Pasohlávky as part of the exhibition Gateway to the Roman Empire. Visitors can view the original artifact, a reconstructed version of the purse, and various coins unearthed at the site, offering a rare window into the financial and everyday life of Roman soldiers stationed on the empire’s edge.
A fragment of a Roman wrist purse dating back about 1845 years, found in the fortress Hradisko u Mušova|Photo: Radim Strachoň, MF DNES, LN/Profimedia
