In April 2018, a five-year archaeological research excavation began at the Roman fort Vindolanda in Northern England, south of Hadrian's Wall and near Bardon Mill in Northumberland.
The archaeological team from the Vindolanda Trust, along with volunteers, were exploring the Severan period (circa 208-212 AD) of the area known for rebellion against Roman rule.
[1] A few weeks into the excavation, a bronze hand, the size of a child's right hand, was found approximately 1.5 meters under a Severan ditch and several meters behind a temple dedicated to Jupiter Dolichenus.
The Roman military particularly loved the god, and the hand would have been deposited in the bog ditch in celebration of the finished nearby temple.
The end of the hand is socketed and would have been attached to a pole and used to bless worshippers.