National Museums Scotland Study Links Milsington Bronze Leg to a Colossal Equestrian Statue of Antoninus Pius: Found in 1820, Exhibition Opens November 14
In 1820, a larger-than-life gilded bronze lower leg was pulled from a bog in the Scottish Borders and became known as the Milsington leg. Researchers at National Museums Scotland have now determined, ahead of a new exhibition, that the leg formed part of a colossal equestrian statue of the Roman emperor Antoninus Pius that once stood in southern Scotland.
The researchers note that the bronze leg shows no signs of being violently hacked off. They posit that the statue was dismantled by retreating Roman troops in the second century C.E. The Milsington leg is the only example of a monumental Roman emperor statue ever found in Scotland.
After its excavation near Hawick in 1820, the leg spent a century at Dalkeith Palace near Edinburgh. Fraser Hunter, principal curator of prehistoric and Roman archaeology at National Museums Scotland, issued a statement on the findings.
The Milsington leg, together with finds including the Inveresk Mithras altars, goes on display in 'Roman Scotland: Life on the Edge of Empire' at the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh. The exhibition opens on November 14, 2026, and runs through April 18, 2027.
Researchers have reconstructed what the full equestrian statue likely looked like, though the reason it was dismantled remains unresolved. Exhibition and research details are published by National Museums Scotland.
Source: National Museums Scotland
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：苏格兰国家博物馆《罗马苏格兰：帝国边缘的生活》专题展展厅，白色骑马像为安东尼·庇护巨像复原。来源：苏格兰国家博物馆官方发布。 / Photo: The 'Roman Scotland' exhibition gallery at the National Museum of Scotland, with a reconstruction of the colossal equestrian statue of Antoninus Pius. Credit: National Museums Scotland.
