Roman wooden target [dummy] & sword for practice. Carlisle, Cumbria, England, 72 – 83 CE. Housed at the Tullie House Museum & Art Gallery Trust [1542 x 2048]
by -introuble2
Roman wooden target [dummy] & sword for practice. Carlisle, Cumbria, England, 72 – 83 CE. Housed at the Tullie House Museum & Art Gallery Trust [1542 x 2048]
by -introuble2
2 Comments
from the sign in a British museum exhibition of 2024 [here](https://www.flickr.com/photos/mumblerjamie/53605481282/)
>Soldiers trained in close and distance combat, wielding wooden weapons and trading blows against wooden posts and targets. Practice weapons were intentionally heavier to strengthen muscles and could be used against a simple post, while missile weapons needed larger targets. The distinctive square holes in the ox skull were made by artillery bolts. The human-shape wooden target was reused as flooring after damage to the ‘shoulder’, possibly from military training – leaving subsequent scars to be made by hobnailed boots.
photo by Jamie Heath in [https://www.flickr.com/photos/mumblerjamie/53606568983/](https://www.flickr.com/photos/mumblerjamie/53606568983/)
Neat