Sword Belt / Cingulum / Balteus

Please visit also the Weapon section for daggers and swords that were worn using below military belts and the Reconstruction Section to see examples of complete equipment.
 

First Century AD

In the first century the sword (gladius) and dagger (pugio) were carried using two crossed belts, below an example from the British Museum in London (gladius Mainz type)

Typical first century cingulum, Landesmuseum Bonn

Vindonissa Museum, CH;  various early principate cingulum decorations and belt buckles

Different types if first century belt fittings, in the middle a stamp to emboss cingulum fittings, to the right Apron decorations
 

             
Drawings from Roman Military Equipment by Bishop & Coulston, Edition 2, 2006 © M.C. Bishop
 

First / Second Century AD

Below a first - second century AD soldier`s belt, the cingulum, to carry the dagger (pugio). The short sword (gladius) was usually carried using a thin leather belt over the shoulder, the so-called balteus. See also in the reconstruction section for examples.

Drawings from Roman Military Equipment by Bishop & Coulston, Edition 2, 2006 © M.C. Bishop

Spes, Munich Archeological Museum

Second / Third Century AD

Roman military belt decoration with letters in silver

Soldier`s belts of later centuries, note the UTERE (FELIX) decoration on the example to the far right, also the neo-celtic design of the middle belts.

Burial of Lugdunum with UTERE FELIX belt fittings (left), balteus decoration with neoceltic and Numerum Omnium design.

Drawings from Roman Military Equipment by Bishop & Coulston, Edition 2, 2006 © M.C. Bishop

Balteus Decoration for a 3rd century sword belt, Numerum Omnium type.

red background is RGZM Mainz, white background is Landesmuseum Bonn

other belt decorations, the distinction between cingulum and horse harnish decoration is often not possible, below with Swastika design popular in those days

Finally an example of the elaborate decoration of a later broad Roman balteus, on the backside a heavy bronze ring to fix the end of the baltheus coming from the left shoulder. Please take a look to the reconstruction section to see the entire equipment of a late Roman soldier:

 

Third / Fourth Century AD

Beautiful Scabbard decoration in guilded silver, 3-4th century AD
RG Museum, Köln

Sword Belt Decoration in guilded silver
RG Museum Römisch Germanisches Museum, Köln

Square and ring belt buckles and fittings, 3rd-4th centrury AD

Drawings from Roman Military Equipment by Bishop & Coulston, Edition 2, 2006 © M.C. Bishop
 
 

Roman "propeller" type belt decorations, 4th century AD

Drawings from Roman Military Equipment by Bishop & Coulston, Edition 2, 2006 © M.C. Bishop

More designs:
 

Drawings from Roman Military Equipment by Bishop & Coulston, Edition 2, 2006 © M.C. Bishop
 

Fourth / Fifth Century AD

Reconstruction of belts of the fourth/fifth century AD (left), Kerbschnitt type belt fittings (right)
 
 

Drawings from Roman Military Equipment by Bishop & Coulston, Edition 2, 2006 © M.C. Bishop

Belt buckle in the so-called "Kerbschnitt / chip-carved'" technique, with Germanic decorative elements, this example from the Archeological Museum Munich

 
 
 

Related Sections of the Roman Numismatic Gallery:

The  Location of Roman Legions from Caesar to ca. 300 AD is summarized in a table.
Military Equipment
Military Diploma
Roman Legionary Bricks
Countermarks of roman legions on coins are shown in the Legionary Countermark section.
Coins making reference to roman legions are to be found in the Legionary Coin section.
Wars and Victories on Roman coins.
Roman Military Main Page