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LOT 0120
Roman Inked Wooden Tablet, a Legal Document from the Rascotiano Estate
4TH CENTURY A.D.
4 7/8 x 5 in. (23.7 grams, 12.3 x 12.5 cm).
A reused tablet with a recessed panel on one side, the last tablet of a legal document which consisted of two (diptychon) or three tablets (triptychon); ten black inked lines of New Roman cursive script, the end of a record of a transaction in a highly formulaic legal language, confirmed between heirs and elders (heredes et seniores), negotiated on an estate called Rascotiano; one edge irregular, pierced for addition of a thong or string. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceFrom an important London collection since 1975.
Accompanied by a collection of eighteen 1970s photographs of the the tablet.
Rothenhoefer, P., Neue römische Rechtsdokumente aus dem Byzacena-Archiv / New Roman Legal Documents from the Byzacena Archive, (forthcoming).
LiteratureCf. Rothenhöfer, P., Blänsdorf, Jürgen, Sana mente sanaque memoria testa-mentum feci: Eine testamentarische Verfügung vom 12. April 340 n. Chr., Gephyra 13, 2016, pp.153-163; Rothenhöfer, P., Neues zum Testament des Pomponius Maximus aus dem Jahr 371 n. Chr., (forthcoming); see also Masi Doria, C., Dal testamento di Pomponius Maximus: prospettive del diritto ereditario tardo antico, in: Isola, L. (ed.), Klauselgestaltungen in Römischen Testamenten, Berlin, 2022, pp.151-175; also see Thomas, J. D., Vindolanda: The Latin Writing Tablets, Britannia Monograph Series No 4, London, 1983, for examples of wooden tabulae re-used as writing surfaces; for examples of testamentary documents on wooden tablets that have survived, see FIRA III, p.47, for Anthony Silvanus from 142 AD, also see BGU VII 1695 for Safinnius Herminus; for another from Transfynydd, North Wales, see Arch. Camb. 150, pp.143-156; and see Bowman, A.K., Life and letters on the Roman frontier : Vindolanda and its people, London, 1994, for discussion of the uses of Roman writing tablets.
FootnotesThe contract follows standard Roman legal formulae.
CONDITIONTimeLine Auctions follows a vetting process to ensure the authenticity and legality of all items, reinforcing our commitment to integrity and responsible trading. Each antiquity, antique, and coin lot undergoes thorough examination by a vetting committee of at least ten external specialists, professional trade association members, scientists, and archaeologists: Our Vetting Process
AUCTIONS:
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LOT 0120
Roman Inked Wooden Tablet, a Legal Document from the Rascotiano Estate
Sold for (Inc. bp): £13,000
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Roman Bronze Boar Brooch
Circa 2nd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £72
Modelled in the round with catch beneath the foreleg, hole for hinged pin beneath the hindleg. 11.2 grams, 31 mm
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. -
Roman Silver Lunar Pendant
1st-3rd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £260
With tapering, round-section crescentic body and ribbed suspension loop. 2.24 grams, 18.2 mm
North American collection, 1990s-2000s. Ex property of a Surrey gentleman. -
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Roman Silver Fish Brooch
2nd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £416
Plate brooch formed as a fish with broad, gently curved lozengiform body, small lateral fins, chevron tail, D-shaped head with large discoid eye; the body with five rows of crescent punchmarks denoting scales; hinge-plate and catch to the reverse. 4.98 grams, 38 mm
Fine condition.
Property of a gentleman from Vienna; from his private collection formed since 1970.
The brooch is of a type found in Britain, corresponding to Hull's type 223. The fish represented here is likely a salmon.
