Museum Explorer
Warfare in
Roman Britain
The Fulham Sword
Found in: the River Thames, London
Date: 1st century AD
Roman legionary soldiers used short, stabbing swords to fight one-to-one with their enemy. This sword was found in the River Thames and is very well preserved. Only its handle and the wooden or leather parts of its sheath are missing.
Can you see the wolf and two children on the bronze plate at the top of the sheath? The legend says that these two orphan boys, called Romulus and Remus, were raised by a she-wolf and later founded the city of Rome.
