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LOT 0620
Roman 'Thames' Bone Gaming Piece and Pottery with Graffiti
1ST-4TH CENTURY A.D.
1/4 - 3 1/2 in. (38 grams total, 1.7-9 cm).
Comprising: a Samian ware fragment bearing graffiti to one face; a polished, coin-shaped bone gaming counter engraved 'XIIIX'. [2, No Reserve]
ProvenanceFound Billingsgate spoil from the Thames foreshore, London, UK.
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 0620
Roman 'Thames' Bone Gaming Piece and Pottery with Graffiti
Sold for (Inc. bp): £208
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Roman Terracotta Lamp with Fighting Gladiators
1st-2nd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £1,300
Composed of a discoid body with sunken discus bearing a scene of two gladiators in combat in relief, tabula ansata below, ring handle and roughly D-shaped nozzle with volutes; old crack to base. 84 grams, 12.4 cm
From a German collection. Ex Cambridge, UK, collection, 1980s.
The two gladiators seem to wear the armaturae of murmillones. All gladiators began their career as provocatores; the learning of their combat technique was polyvalent and allowed the fighters to specialise as a large shield-bearer (the scutati) like murmillones, or as a small shield-bearers, parmati, like the oplomachus. -
Eastern Roman Gold Ring with Portrait Gemstone
Circa 3rd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £1,040
Composed of a lentoid-section hoop expanding at the shoulders to an oval bezel set with a garnet intaglio gemstone depicting a bearded male bust facing left, wearing an earring and pendant necklace. 9.61 grams, 27.60 mm overall, 15.39 mm internal diameter (approximate size British H 1/2, USA 4, Europe 6.81, Japan 6)
Private collection. Accompanied by an expert report by Dr Jack Ogden, 9 June 2017. -
Roman Bronze Folding Spoon
Circa 4th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £442
Featuring a shallow piriform bowl, raised neck with movable pinned hinge attached to the hexagonal-section handle and shortened polyhedral knob finial, allowing the handle to be folded into the bowl. 15.5 grams, 14 cm
UK collection, early 1990s and before. Acquired on the UK art market since the early 2000s. From a private collection, Lancashire, UK.
As today, the spoon was used as a measure for dosage in ancient times. Both the cochlear and the ligula could have been used to measure different quantities, particularly in the practice of medicine and in the kitchen. Isidore (Origines, XVI, 26.3) tells us that the cochlear was the smallest unit size and was worth half a drachma.
