ROMEINSE LUNULAE OF KLEPPERMANNETJES?

Samenvatting

Roman horse fittings in the shape of a crescent, called lunulae, are often found in the Netherlands by people using metal detectors. Serious doubts about their authenticity have led amateur archaeologists to collect and publish all finds. It was then discovered that a similar object featured in a 17th-century painting. Now it appears that these ornaments had a very long life, maybe well into the 19th century. They may have had the same fuction as horse brasses, the Dutch name for which is kleppermannetje.