Staffordshire Moorlands Pan
Encyclopedia
The Staffordshire Moorlands Pan is a 2nd century AD enamelled
bronze trulla with an inscription relating to the forts of Hadrian's Wall
. It was found in June 2003 and in 2005 was bought jointly by the Tullie House Museum
in Carlisle
, the Potteries Museum
in Stoke-on-Trent
and London's British Museum
, with the help of a grant of £112,200 from the Heritage Lottery Fund
. The pan rotates between a number of locations, including the joint owning museums and another museum on Hadrian's Wall; until May 2011 it was on display at Stoke-on-Trent. The pan weights 132.5 gm, and is 47 mm high with a maximum diameter of 94 mm, and one of 54 mm around the outside of the base.
The pan, although lacking its handle and base, is an extremely well preserved enamelled and inscribed bronze (strictly of "copper alloy"), decorated in a Celtic
style; the Celtic peoples of the Roman period made more use of enamel on metal than other parts of the Empire. The decoration consists of "eight roundels, with eight pairs of intervening hollow-sided triangles. Each roundel encloses a swirling six-armed whirligig centred on a three-petalled device inlaid with red, blue, turquoise and yellow-coloured enamel." It has been suggested that in addition to its functional role it may have been a 'souvenir' of Hadrian's Wall, made for a soldier who had served there. The inscription round the rim is engraved and then filled with enamel. It names forts on the wall: MAIS (Bowness-on-Solway
), COGGABATA (Drumburgh
), VXELODVNVM (Stanwix
), CAMMOGLANNA (Castlesteads
). The final part: RIGORE VALI AELI DRACONIS, is more elusive in meaning, but refers to the wall VALI, and probably a soldier DRACO. AELI may be part of his name, but was also Hadrian
's family name, so may go with VALI. It is a find of great national and international significance. There are other comparable trulli, and two with inscriptions relating to the wall; the inscription means this piece was almost certainly manufactured locally. Judging by these other finds, the handle would have been flat, with enamel decoration on the upper surface.
Vitreous enamel
Vitreous enamel, also porcelain enamel in U.S. English, is a material made by fusing powdered glass to a substrate by firing, usually between 750 and 850 °C...
bronze trulla with an inscription relating to the forts of Hadrian's Wall
Hadrian's Wall
Hadrian's Wall was a defensive fortification in Roman Britain. Begun in AD 122, during the rule of emperor Hadrian, it was the first of two fortifications built across Great Britain, the second being the Antonine Wall, lesser known of the two because its physical remains are less evident today.The...
. It was found in June 2003 and in 2005 was bought jointly by the Tullie House Museum
Tullie House Museum
The Tullie House Museum and Art Gallery is a museum in Carlisle, Cumbria in England. Opened by the Carlisle Corporation in 1893, the original building is a converted Jacobean mansion, with extensions added when it was converted...
in Carlisle
City of Carlisle
The City of Carlisle is a local government district of Cumbria, England, with the status of a city and non-metropolitan district. It is named after its largest settlement, Carlisle, but covers a far larger area which includes the towns of Brampton and Longtown, as well as outlying villages...
, the Potteries Museum
Potteries Museum & Art Gallery
The Potteries Museum & Art Gallery is in Hanley, one of the six towns of Stoke-on-Trent in Staffordshire. Admission is free.One of the four local authority museums in the City, the other three being Gladstone Pottery Museum, Ford Green Hall and Etruria Industrial Museum, The Potteries Museum & Art...
in Stoke-on-Trent
Stoke-on-Trent
Stoke-on-Trent , also called The Potteries is a city in Staffordshire, England, which forms a linear conurbation almost 12 miles long, with an area of . Together with the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme Stoke forms The Potteries Urban Area...
and London's British Museum
British Museum
The British Museum is a museum of human history and culture in London. Its collections, which number more than seven million objects, are amongst the largest and most comprehensive in the world and originate from all continents, illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from its...
, with the help of a grant of £112,200 from the Heritage Lottery Fund
Heritage Lottery Fund
The Heritage Lottery Fund is a fund established in the United Kingdom under the National Lottery etc. Act 1993. The Fund opened for applications in 1994. It uses money raised through the National Lottery to transform and sustain the UK’s heritage...
. The pan rotates between a number of locations, including the joint owning museums and another museum on Hadrian's Wall; until May 2011 it was on display at Stoke-on-Trent. The pan weights 132.5 gm, and is 47 mm high with a maximum diameter of 94 mm, and one of 54 mm around the outside of the base.
The pan, although lacking its handle and base, is an extremely well preserved enamelled and inscribed bronze (strictly of "copper alloy"), decorated in a Celtic
Celtic art
Celtic art is the art associated with the peoples known as Celts; those who spoke the Celtic languages in Europe from pre-history through to the modern period, as well as the art of ancient peoples whose language is uncertain, but have cultural and stylistic similarities with speakers of Celtic...
style; the Celtic peoples of the Roman period made more use of enamel on metal than other parts of the Empire. The decoration consists of "eight roundels, with eight pairs of intervening hollow-sided triangles. Each roundel encloses a swirling six-armed whirligig centred on a three-petalled device inlaid with red, blue, turquoise and yellow-coloured enamel." It has been suggested that in addition to its functional role it may have been a 'souvenir' of Hadrian's Wall, made for a soldier who had served there. The inscription round the rim is engraved and then filled with enamel. It names forts on the wall: MAIS (Bowness-on-Solway
Bowness-on-Solway
Bowness-on-Solway is a small village of less than 100 houses on the Solway Firth separating England and Scotland. It falls in North-West Cumbria to the west of Carlisle on the English side. The western end of Hadrian's Wall is a major tourist attraction, along with beaches and wading birds...
), COGGABATA (Drumburgh
Drumburgh
Drumburgh is a small settlement in Cumbria, England. It is northwest of the City of Carlisle and is on the course of Hadrian's Wall.It was the site of the Roman fort of Coggabata. In the 14th century a tower house known as Drumburgh Castle was built here. It was rebuilt as a fortified farmhouse...
), VXELODVNVM (Stanwix
Stanwix
Stanwix is a district of Carlisle, Cumbria in North West England. It is located on the north side of River Eden, across from Carlisle city centre. Although long counted as a suburb it did not officially become part of the city until 1912 when part of the civil parish of Stanwix became part of the...
), CAMMOGLANNA (Castlesteads
Castlesteads
Castlesteads may refer to one of the following:*Castlesteads, Greater Manchester, an Iron Age promontory fort*Camboglanna, also known as Castlesteads, a Roman fort on Hadrian's Wall...
). The final part: RIGORE VALI AELI DRACONIS, is more elusive in meaning, but refers to the wall VALI, and probably a soldier DRACO. AELI may be part of his name, but was also Hadrian
Hadrian
Hadrian , was Roman Emperor from 117 to 138. He is best known for building Hadrian's Wall, which marked the northern limit of Roman Britain. In Rome, he re-built the Pantheon and constructed the Temple of Venus and Roma. In addition to being emperor, Hadrian was a humanist and was philhellene in...
's family name, so may go with VALI. It is a find of great national and international significance. There are other comparable trulli, and two with inscriptions relating to the wall; the inscription means this piece was almost certainly manufactured locally. Judging by these other finds, the handle would have been flat, with enamel decoration on the upper surface.