Detectorist Glenn Manning found the haul of a lifetime when he unearthed two Roman cavalry swords in the north Cotwolds

Detectorist Glenn Manning found the haul of a lifetime when he unearthed two Roman cavalry swords in the north Cotwolds.

They were discovered along with a copper alloy bowl and were with the remains of their wooden scabbards and fitments – non-blade parts.

Mr Manning and the owner of the land where they were found agreed to donate the swords to the Corinium Museum in. The swords are currently undergoing conservation at the museum.

The swords were appraised by Professor Simon James from Leicester University who says that these weapons are middle imperial Roman swords commonly referred to as a spatha. They were in use in the Roman world probably by the 160s, through the later second century and far into the third century AD.

Their considerable length suggests that they are cavalry weapons -- or, more accurately, weapons intended for use on horseback. It was not illegal for civilians to own such weapons and to carry them for travelling because Roman provinces were plagued with banditry.