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LOT 0684
Roman Bone Gaming Dice
1ST-4TH CENTURY A.D.
3/8 in. (1.7 grams, 10 mm).
Cuboid with chamfered corners each with a ring-and-dot motif, reserved pellet marks disposed 1:6, 2:4, 3:5. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceAcquired from Red House Antiques, York, UK, in 2006.
Ian Wilkinson collection, Nottinghamshire, UK.
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AUCTIONS:
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Roman Gold Beaded Pendant
2nd-1st century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £208
Comprising a domed plaque with granules and beaded wire rim, granulated collars, tubular and fusiform beads, later wire, a marriage. 1.99 grams, 38 mm
From an early 20th century collection. -
Roman Bronze Statuette of a Germanic Captive
Late 2nd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £208
Modelled in the round in kneeling pose with weight thrust forward, arms at the sides, bare-chested and wearing a short kilt with thick belt; the hair drawn up in the Swabian knot style above the right ear; mounted on a custom-made display stand. 80 grams total, 58 mm including stand
From a collection acquired on the UK art market from various auction houses and collections mostly before 2000. From an important Cambridgeshire estate; thence by descent.
Statuettes of foreign ‘barbarian’ prisoners of this type have been found along the Danube. Their spread coincides with the Marcomannic wars of the Emperor Marcus Aurelius. The Swabian knot in this warrior’s hair has parallels with the warrior depicted on the contemporary Sarcophagus of Portonaccio, which represents a battle between Romans and Germanic Gauls. -
Roman Historic Cut & Polished Porphyry Slice Group
1st-5th century A.D. and laterSold for (Inc. bp): £104
Comprising three lacquered porphyry slices of rectangular shape, cut on both faces and polished on one face; probably from recycled material mined in ancient Roman times between the 1st and 5th century A.D.; intended for use as inlay panels. 81 grams total, 5.8-12.2 cm
From Egypt. Ex Mineral Imports, London, UK. Gregory, Bottley & Lloyd (Gregory's).
Mons Porphyrites (today Jabal Abu Dukhkhan) is the mountainous site of a group of ancient quarries in the Red Sea Hills of the inhospitable eastern desert in Egypt, a five day trip from the Nile during Roman times. They were discovered by Caius Cominus Leugas in 18 A.D., and during the Roman Empire the mines officially belonged to the emperor and were the only known source of the Imperial Porphyry, Mons Porphyrites. This dark purple stone was associated with royalty and used for prestigious sculpture and architecture. The location of the mines was lost some time in the 5th century, and rediscovered in the early 19th century. Excavations in the area have revealed the well-preserved quarries and the dwelling places of the quarry men, and also thousands of ostraca have been discovered containing messages that provide details of how the quarrying took place, and of how the highly skilled quarrymen ordered their food.
