Late Roman Iron Branding Signaculum

5TH-6TH CENTURY A.D.

14 3/4 in. (521 grams, 37.5 cm).

Featuring an elaborate monogram composed of Greek letters M and O, supported by decoratively twisted prongs; tapering cylindrical socket.

Provenance

Acquired 1990s-early 2000s.
East Anglian private collection.

Literature

See Baratta, G., 'Roman Signacula / Una particolare categoria di signacula: marchi per legno, pellame ed animali', in Mayer M., Olive, G., Baratta, G., Guzman Almagro, A.(ed.), XII Congressus Internationalis Epigraphiae Grecae et Latinae, Barcelona, 2007, pp.99-108, figs.3,7, for similar stamps.

Footnotes

Branding stamps or signacula, in particular those with large single letters, were used for marking livestock to identify the ownership, the breed, the quality and other features of the animal. The signacula were usually made in bronze, but iron examples are also preserved.

CONDITION

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LOT 0629