Loading, please wait...
Details
LOT 0767
Roman Terracotta LEG I ITAL Legionary Stamped Tile
LATE 1ST CENTURY A.D.
7 1/2 in. (4.35 kg, 19 cm).
A rectangular block with stamped mark 'LEGT I ITAL' (Legio I Italica) for 1st Legion 'Italic'; with collector's label 'Roman brick made by the Ist Italica Legion at Olpia Oescus on the lower Danube, one of Trajan's strategic bases prior to the invasion of Dacia in 106 AD. LEG I ITAL' [No Reserve]
Provenance
From the collection of a late East Anglian teacher and antiquarian who retired to the Isle of Wight in Hampshire, UK.
He amassed a large collection of objects between the 1960s-1980s.
Accompanied by a previous catalogue identification card.
Literature
See Sarnowski, T., 'Die Ziegelstempel aus Novae' in Archaeologia, Warszawa, 1983, 43, pp.17-61; Kurzmann, R., 'Soldier, Civilian and Military Brick Production' in Oxford Journal of Archaeology, 24 (4), 2005, pp.405-414.
Footnotes
The Legio I Italica ("of Italy") was a Roman legion formed by Nero on September 20, 66 or 67 AD and active until the 5th century AD. Its emblems were the boar and sometimes the bull.
There are many sources which name army officials employed in supervision of the construction and reconstruction of temples, baths, city walls, towers and gates. CIL VIII 2728, for example, is a letter by evocatus Augusti who was sent to solve engineering problems on a badly surveyed aqueduct at Saldae in the province of Numidia. Pliny (Epistulae X 17b, 39, 41, 61) repeatedly requested an army architect to be sent from Lower Moesia to help inspect some Bithynian building projects. Therefore it is not strange that tiles marked as belonging to a legion should be found all over the provinces.
VETTING:
TimeLine 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:
TimeLine is a leading auction house specialising in antiquities, ancient art, collectables, natural history, coins, medals, and books. Our auctions offer museums, collectors, historians, and enthusiasts the opportunity to acquire unique and historically significant pieces.
RELATED LOTS
-
Late Roman Gilt Silver Buckle with Dragon Heads
5th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £442
Comprising a trapezoid-section loop with running wave design and panther-mask terminals, tongue with ribbed oblong plaque and cut design; a rectangular plaque with extension to rear edge of two triangles and a semi-circle, decorated with bands of triangles, crescents, swirls and indented lines, extension with central gilt circle from which expands two triangular panels, filled with swirl design; rivet holes to the edge for attachment. 37.1 grams, 66 mm
UK collection formed in the 1980s. Ex property of a North London gentleman. -
Roman Silver Ring with Carnelian Gemstone
2nd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £156
With gemstone stud, inscribed vexillum motif; hoop damaged. 4.71 grams, 22.43 mm overall, 17.27 mm internal diameter
From a gentleman's London, UK, collection, in the 1990s. -
Published 'The Brixton Deverill' Romano-British Bronze Mercury Statuette
1st-2nd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £975
Modelled in the round, the god standing nude and wearing the winged petasos and holing the marsupium coin-purse in his right hand; left hand modelled with thumb and forefinger closed to grip the now absent caduceus; mounted on a custom-made display stand. 91 grams, 98 mm including stand
Found Wiltshire, UK, before 1974. Accompanied by a copy of an article titled A Figurine of Mercury from Brixton Deverill, by Martin Henig.
Mercury is often shown wearing a chlamys but the present figure is one of a known group which features his nude form. The modelling is of good quality.
