Object Details
From:NHerts
Name/TitleRoman copper alloy jug
About this objectA copper alloy jug made from three separately cast and formerly joined elements, now separated from one another. The base and foot section, now damaged, resembles a pedestal cup. At the top, there is a lid seat for the neck section. The circular foot has a central circular moulding on its underside, surrounded by a deep groove. The neck is of sub-conical form, with a projecting lip at the base, pinched ‘hourglass’ rim and internal evidence of turning.
The top of the handle takes the form of the head, neck and forelegs of a stag, moulded in three dimensions. The legs form a C-shaped socket with recessed underside, allowing the handle to fit the top of the back part of the jug’s rim. When in situ, the head overhangs the opening in the jug; the antlers follow the curvature of the neck, their surfaces raised slightly above it. A forward-facing human mask wearing a Phrygian cap faces outwards from a shield-shaped base plate. From above this head extends upwards a pair of converging grooves with internal lozenge. Traces of a white metal solder adhere to the undersides both of this plate and of the curved rim attachment.
Date MadeAD 100-200
PeriodRoman (AD 43-411)
Medium and MaterialsMetal | Copper alloy
MeasurementsNeck height 46.4 mm; diameter at base 78.4 mm; front to back of rim 62.9 mm; width of rim 47.3 mm. Weight: 167.27 g.
Base and foot height 80.9 mm; diameter at top (remaining) 81.4 mm. Weight of remaining pieces 226.69 g (N.B. There are several additional fragments contained within the soil from inside the jug, which have yet to be sorted).
Handle length 88.8 mm; width at top 49.7 mm; width at base plate 25.9 mm. Weight 99.43 g.
Total height of jug (reconstructed) 141.6 mm.
Named CollectionNorth Hertfordshire Museum
Credit LinePurchased from the British Museum under the terms of the Treasure Act 1996.
Object TypeJug
Object number2018.1.3
Copyright LicenceAll rights reserved