Roman belt plate Lupa Romana made of brass

During the Roman imperial period, the Lupa Romana symbolized the idea of ​​"romanitas" (Romanity), divine favor from the god Mars, fertility, and the beginning of a new Golden Age. She served as a wet nurse for the legendary city founders Romulus and Remus.

The prevalence of belt plates bearing the Lupa Romana motif is evidenced by numerous archaeological finds in the former border provinces, particularly at sites along the Rhine and Danube Limes such as Carnuntum, Intercisa, and Augusta Raurica. These late antique finds demonstrate the significance of the motif as a symbol of the Roman military's identification with the founding myth of Rome in the provinces from Britain to Pannonia.

Cast belt plates are generally more solid and break-resistant, while plates made from hammered sheet metal are lighter but more prone to bending under heavy loads. In terms of detail, casting allows for more three-dimensional reliefs and finer contours directly from the mold, whereas hammered sheet metal, while individual, often features less complex or more planar designs due to the hand-crafted process.

Archaeological finds of belt plates bearing the Lupa Romana motif originate from various regions of the Roman Empire, with a concentration extending from northern Italy through the provinces along the Rhine and Danube rivers to the southern part of the British Isles. A significant site is the former Roman camp of Haltern am See (North Rhine-Westphalia), where decorated belt plates made of bronze or brass, part of military equipment (cingulum), have been discovered in ditch fills and burial grounds. In military attire, the motif primarily served as an expression of loyalty to Rome and the emperor, as well as a representation of Roman identity (Romanitas).