Roman ‘hand of god’ found near Hadrian’s Wall

The hand is made of 2.3kg of solid bronze. It was an offering to a military deity for giving the Romans victory in the largest military combat operation carried out in Britain. The Roman invasion of Caledonia was launched in 208 by Roman emperor Septimius Severus. The invasion lasted until late 210 when the emperor became ill and died. Some 50,000 Romans were in the invasion force.

Found in 2018, it's likely the bronze hand was ritually buried. The hand is associated with a Roman god called Jupiter Dolichenus.