Satori
Full Member
Jan 5 2008 by Tony Henderson, The Journal
AN ancient pan which may have been a souvenir from Hadrian’s Wall will go on show on Tyneside today .
The exhibition at Arbeia Roman fort in South Shields examines the mystery behind the beautifully decorated bronze bowl, which shows exceptional craftsmanship.
It was unearthed by metal detectorists Kevin Blackburn and Julian Lee in the Staffordshire Moorlands five years ago.
The inscription on the pan names four of the westernmost forts of the Wall – Mais (Bowness), Coggabata (Drumburgh), Uxelodunum (Stanwix) and Cammoglanna (Castlesteads).
Hadrian’s Wall is also possibly named for the first time, which shows that the pan was made after AD 122.
Archaeologist Alex Croom, based at Arbeia, said: “Although the pan is a small object, it can tell us a great deal about life on Hadrian’s Wall.
“The inscription also tells us that the pan was the property of Draco and we are extremely interested in who this character was and what the pan meant to him. Did he make the pan or was he the man for whom the pan was commissioned?”
Staffordshire may have been his retirement home.
“He was perhaps a veteran of the garrison of Hadrian’s Wall and on his retirement had this vessel made to recall his time in the army,” said Sally Worrall, of the Portable Antiquities Scheme, to which finds are reported.
“His name suggests that he or his family originated in the Greek-speaking part of the Roman Empire.”
Two other similar vessels bear the names of western forts on Hadrian’s Wall. One is the Rudge Cup, which is held at Alnwick Castle, and was found in 1725, and the other a cup discovered in Amiens in France in 1949.
They raise the possibility of a Hadrian’s Wall business dealing in expensive souvenirs.
The exhibition, which will also feature Roman objects found at South Shields, runs until the end of April.
AN ancient pan which may have been a souvenir from Hadrian’s Wall will go on show on Tyneside today .
The exhibition at Arbeia Roman fort in South Shields examines the mystery behind the beautifully decorated bronze bowl, which shows exceptional craftsmanship.
It was unearthed by metal detectorists Kevin Blackburn and Julian Lee in the Staffordshire Moorlands five years ago.
The inscription on the pan names four of the westernmost forts of the Wall – Mais (Bowness), Coggabata (Drumburgh), Uxelodunum (Stanwix) and Cammoglanna (Castlesteads).
Hadrian’s Wall is also possibly named for the first time, which shows that the pan was made after AD 122.
Archaeologist Alex Croom, based at Arbeia, said: “Although the pan is a small object, it can tell us a great deal about life on Hadrian’s Wall.
“The inscription also tells us that the pan was the property of Draco and we are extremely interested in who this character was and what the pan meant to him. Did he make the pan or was he the man for whom the pan was commissioned?”
Staffordshire may have been his retirement home.
“He was perhaps a veteran of the garrison of Hadrian’s Wall and on his retirement had this vessel made to recall his time in the army,” said Sally Worrall, of the Portable Antiquities Scheme, to which finds are reported.
“His name suggests that he or his family originated in the Greek-speaking part of the Roman Empire.”
Two other similar vessels bear the names of western forts on Hadrian’s Wall. One is the Rudge Cup, which is held at Alnwick Castle, and was found in 1725, and the other a cup discovered in Amiens in France in 1949.
They raise the possibility of a Hadrian’s Wall business dealing in expensive souvenirs.
The exhibition, which will also feature Roman objects found at South Shields, runs until the end of April.
