Amazing Roman Dagger from Germany

Haltern am See is a German town nowhere near the sea. It sits instead on the Lippe River, a tributary of the Rhine navigable by boat some distance to the east. Just outside the modern town are the remains of a Roman fort that dates to around the year zero. The fort was placed so that it could easily be supplied from the river.

Yes, I know there was no year zero. Why are you such a pedant?

The site has been subject to excavation for decades, and archaeologists think it was built during the Roman attempt to conquer Germania between 12 BC and 16 AD. As you can see, the gate has been reconstructed.

There are reenactors, and others.

This was a large complex of buildings, as shown on a model in the local Roman museum.

Most of the archaeological finds at the site have come from a large cemetery.

Nearby is this strange statue, which seems to be titled Der gescheiterte Varus. Not sure how one would render the failed Varus in idiomatic English. Perhaps The Defeated Varus, or Varus Haunted by Failure? Or maybe the intent is, Varus' Zombie Stalking the Dreams of Augustus?

The find I want to write about was made in 2019. It came, not from a formal grave, but from a ditch. As you can see, it included not just the Pugio itself but a nearly complete belt. Nobody knows what it was doing in the ditch. It emerged from the ground as a lump of rust and metal that took 18 months to dissect and conserve.

But what an amazing object it is.