Roman 'St Albans' Pottery Sherd and Mosaic Tesserae Group

1ST-4TH CENTURY A.D.

3/8 - 6 3/4 in. (2.3 kg total, 1-17 cm).

Comprising large tile and vessel fragments, some with inked notes; and a group of white and grey tesserae, including one large redware tessera. [37, No Reserve]

Provenance

Found St Albans, Hertfordshire, UK.
Acquired from the finder in 2008.
Property of a Nottinghamshire gentleman.

Literature

See Ilid, A., Verulamium, St. Albans, 1978, plate II, for similar.

Footnotes

The great monuments of Verulamium were efficiently destroyed by the medieval builders of Saxon and Norman abbeys. They sought Roman bricks and, above all, limestone which could be burnt for mortar. Most of the ancient Roman town stone monuments were broken up and thrown into lime kilns. These surviving fragments give a hint of what was once there. For the monuments and buildings Romans used Northamptonshire limestone, but the more delicate, finely carved inscriptions were realised in Purbeck marble from Dorset.

CONDITION

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LOT 0733