A bronze leg found in 1820 considered Roman loot now believed to belong to a statue of Antoninus Pius

Antoninus Pius was a Roman emperor, specifically the fourth of the Five Good Emperors, who ruled from AD 138 to 161. His reign was marked by relative peace and stability across the Roman Empire, alongside administrative and legal reforms.

However, one of his more ambitious undertakings was expanding Rome's territory further north into Scotland, a campaign that resulted in the construction of the Antonine Wall.The emperor's legacy was not limited to the territories he conquered or the policies he introduced. Like many Roman rulers, Antoninus Pius also had monuments and statues erected in his honour, celebrating his achievements and reinforcing his authority across the empire.

One such monument may have been a towering, gilded bronze statue of the emperor riding a horse, which is believed to have once stood in southern Scotland.But if the Romans had gone to such lengths to immortalise their emperor, why was the statue eventually taken apart? A bronze leg discovered in a Scottish bog more than 200 years ago may finally offer some answers.