The Romans were using screws, they're not a new investion but i'll admit that for this particualr application its " unexpected ". It appears based on the corrosion to have some age to it as it is similar to the material around it. The use of leather as a " washer " would make sense in a period context for this use, one couldn't run down to the hardware store and buy a box of number 8 steel washers, you would have had to punch a hole in a piece of steel, grind or file back the flash around the hole and then cut out a small square of circle around it to make a washer from metal, leathe would have been much less of a head ache. My only guess as to why there is a screw there instead of two rivets like the plates around it is A) this scale is overlapped by the scales on either side of it so there wasn't enough room for two rivets or B) this is a repair with some age to it. Are there any more screws you've located on this piece? How was it fastened closed?
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