Archaeologists unearth copper fragments of Roman soldiers’ forearm wallets in Moravia, southern Czech Republic. It dates back to the 2nd century, when the discovery was not on Roman territory, making it an unusually rare artifact.

The clip was discovered in January, during the Marcomani Empire War against the Roman Empire of Germanic and Salmatia tribes, the 10th Legion established a fortified camp. The 10th Legion occupied Marcus Aurelius between 172 and 180, and planned to make the camp a permanent feature of the new province, he would depart from the territory seized by the defeated Marcomanni, but he never had a successful victory before the death of his son and successor in 180.

Only about 30% of the wallet survives, but its unique shape recognizes it, and although there are no coins inside, a large number are found in the same archaeological layer.

“It’s more like a small wallet,” explains Balázs Komoróczy of the Czech Academy of Sciences. “It’s by sliding it onto the arm or forearm. The tension around the arm keeps it closed and fixed.” […]

Experts estimate that the wallet could have held about 50 silver Daniels (Silver Denarii), which was huge at the time, but was not about paying the average soldier for the whole year. This suggests that it may belong to junior officers or those responsible for unit expenses.

The wallet may have both personal money and what Mr. Komoróczy calls “service cash” or coins used to meet the logistics needs during military operations. According to its design, it will be worn on the left arm, allowing the right hand to fight for free.