The artifact is decorated with an illustration of the defensive fortification in northern England, but it was unearthed some 1,200 miles away. A new study suggests the design reflects a soldier’s achievements at the site

A virtual reconstruction of the Berlanga Cup 3D Stoa—Archaeology and Heritage / Cambridge University Press under CC BY 4.0

Archaeologists may have identified the origins of a recently discovered 1,900-year-old bowl decorated with bright red, green, blue and turquoise patterns. These designs appear to depict Hadrian’s Wall , the 73-mile-long fortification that once protected the Roman Empire’s northwest frontier.

The wall is in northern England, but the bowl was found in Berlanga de Duero, a central Spanish town some 1,200 miles away.…