A 'spectacular' small brooch has been uncovered at a Roman fort that may reveal secrets about the men that built Hadrian's Wall.

The discovery of the legionary soldier's expensive and prestigious cloak brooch has excited archaeologists in Northumberland.

Experts have discovered that the brooch belonged to soldier Quintus Sollonius who would have been stationed at the forefront of the Roman empire 2,000 years ago.

Historians are continuing to examine the artefact and believe it could reveal more secrets behind the men who helped build Hadrian's Wall.

It was found at the Vindolanda Roman settlement, near Bardon Mill in Northumberland.

Quintus Sollonius painstakingly cut a set of small incised dots to make up his name. Next to the name was the inscription CUPI.

It is believed that those four letters refer to Cupius, the centurion in command of the soldiers sent by the Second Legion Augusta to help build the wall in AD122.

The brooch, which is just under 2in in diameter, incorporates the figure of Mars, the Roman god of war, wearing body armour and sandals, standing alongside two wide shields.

These shields could mean Quintus Sollonius was a veteran of campaigns against the Dacians in what is now Romania conducted by the emperor Hadrian's predecessor Trajan.

Three chains dangling below each hold an ivy or maple leaf.

The name Sollonius indicates Quintus came from Gaul, or modern France.

The centurion Cupius - an unusual name - is known from a Second Legion Augusta inscription at Caerleon in Wales.

Quintus Sollonius and Cupius were part of a detachment of legionary soldiers sent to Northumberland to assist in the early stages of the building of the 74-mile long wall.

Vindolanda director of excavations Robin Birley said: "It is a fantastic find because nothing like this has ever been seen before.

"It is further proof that there were legionnaires in Northumberland at the time of the building of Hadrian's Wall."

Mr Birley said the brooch was a very impressive object and showed that Quintus Sollonius was a very senior soldier - probably a non-commissioned officer with at least 20 years' experience.

"It is a very expensive object and he would have been very annoyed to have lost the brooch, which fastened the cloak at the shoulder," Mr Birley said.

"But it is quite big and flashy and difficult to lose, so one suspects that perhaps it was stolen."

Lindsay Allason-Jones, an expert in Roman history at Newcastle University, questioned whether the artefact was a brooch.

"I have not seen anything like this before," she said.

"I am not even sure it is a brooch and it may some sort of decoration for a horse.

"There does not appear to be a catch plate but this may have fallen off, which may explain how it was lost in the first place.

"However, I have never seen anything like this in the region before and because it has someone's name on, it is a very important find."