Â鶹Éç

The Silchester eagle

Contributed by Reading Museum

The Silchester eagle

This eagle was made famous when it featured in Rosemary Sutcliffe's book The Eagle of the NinthThis bronze eagle was damaged in the Roman period, repaired and damaged again. It is a good example of the high quality of Romano-British craftsmanship, although the repairs were somewhat less skilfully done. The bird is posed with wings outstretched, its head raised and turned to the right. The original wings are missing but it is clear from the careful modelling of the feathers beneath them that they must have been extended and raised. The curve of the undersides of the feet suggests that the eagle's talons once clasped the surface of a globe. It was probably held in the hand of a statue of Jupiter or an emperor, and, in spite of its fame as such, was not part of a military standard.

Comments are closed for this object

Comments

  • 1 comment
  • 1. At 11:23 on 25 February 2011, Pontio wrote:

    Good to see this entry but come on Â鶹Éç, please, having transmitted various of her novels as Jackanory, CHildren's Hour, and TV, you should know that one of this country (Britain's) greatest authors of the last century is spelt Sutcliff without an E. Sadly you are not alone in getting this wrong: see www.rosemarysutcliff.com

Share this link:

Most of the content on A History of the World is created by the contributors, who are the museums and members of the public. The views expressed are theirs and unless specifically stated are not those of the Â鶹Éç or the British Museum. The Â鶹Éç is not responsible for the content of any external sites referenced. In the event that you consider anything on this page to be in breach of the site’s House Rules please Flag This Object.

About this object

Click a button to explore other objects in the timeline

Period
Theme
Size

View more objects from people in Berkshire.

Find out more

Podcast

Â鶹Éç iD

Â鶹Éç navigation

Â鶹Éç © 2014 The Â鶹Éç is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read more.

This page is best viewed in an up-to-date web browser with style sheets (CSS) enabled. While you will be able to view the content of this page in your current browser, you will not be able to get the full visual experience. Please consider upgrading your browser software or enabling style sheets (CSS) if you are able to do so.