The Roman House at Hopkins | Everyday Dining: Terra Sigillata
Plate with Pottery Stamp
By Laura Garofalo
Measurements: Height: 2.6 cm, Diameter: 13.4 cm
Materials: Slipped ceramic
Date/Culture: Roman, early 1st c. CE
Accession Numbers: Puteoli, Italy
This shallow ceramic plate represents one shape of vessel which was commonly produced. The overall high-gloss appearance of the terra sigillata is especially visible in this piece, demonstrating the luster and aesthetic appeal even a relatively unadorned vessel could offer.
The plate has a low rim with incised grooves and sits on a small ring-foot. Several incised grooves also encircle the central potter’s stamp, which reads “NAEVI,” referring to the workshop of Naevius in Puteoli, Italy from the first two decades of the 1st c. CE.
References
Robinson, D.M., ed. 1936. Corpus Vasorum Antiquorum: United States of America, The Robinson Collection, Baltimore, MD. 3 vol. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. Pg. 56, no. 1a-b, pl. XLIV, 1a-b.