Roman Bronze Spur, Circa 1st ,3rd Century AD

A bronze spur with l spike and two knobs (one is missing) for attachment; 23 grams, 77mm. From the collection of London collector. Fine condition. An important Roman technological artifact as their has been much discussion of where and when stirrups and spurs were invented.

Footnotes: A very similar bronze prick spur is on view at the Met. Spurs have been found in Celtic and Greek contexts from the 5th century B.C. onwards. In high antiquity, they were not used in pairs, but rather as a single accessory attached to only one of the feet, usually on the left. The first pairs are recorded in some Greek regions in the late 2nd century B.C. They were used, as they are today, for directing a horse to move forwards. The prick spur was the first type of spur to be invented, and it consists of a goad or prick, more or less pointed, connected to side arms or a heel plate. The earliest spurs were probably simple thorns attached at the back of the heel or ankle, before they began to be made out of metal.