Makers' Stamps on Mortaria from Gloucester Colin Wallace drawings by Philip Cracknell This compilation of some twenty stamps was originally time the practice of name-stamping had been made to accompany the pottery reports from a campaign discontinued. of excavations in Roman and medieval extramural Gloucester, 1983-85. Publication circumstances have ABER (retro) changed and, in view of such items as the new reading origin: Caerleon of Cassarivs for Cavarivs, it now appears on its own. date: c. AD 115-160 I am very grateful to Kay Hartley for reporting on sites: new Market Hall (Hartley, in Hassall & Rhodes 1975, fig 8.3) stamped mortaria M1, M2, M4, MS, M6 and M7 and notes: a more defmite origin can now be given than for her comments on the others. Any errors are my own "southern Severn valley", pers comm Kay Hartley. responsibility. Permission to include unpublished material was granted by Malcolm Atkin, Henry Hurst G. ATISIUS GRATUS and Malcolm Watkin of Gloucester City Museum. I origin: Gallia Narbonensis thank Jan Wills for facilitating pUblication in its present date: c. AD 55-85 form. The post-excavation work was carried out under sites: Quay Street (Hartley, in Hunter 1986, fig 8.1) a Community Programme contract with the Manpower notes: reads 'GRATVS F(ecit)', one of a pair with 'G Services Commission. The views expressed are those of ATISIVS' on the other. The Atisii (three of them) the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the were active at Aoste, near Lyons. MSC or any other Government department At present, thirty-four different mortarium fabrics BRUSCIUS have been isolated from Kingsholm and Gloucester. In origin: Mancetter-Hartshill the pre-Flavian period (Hartley, in Hurst 1985, 86-87), date: AD 140-180 Gaulish imports accounted for more than half the sites: Crypt School Grounds (Birley 1949, fig 2.1) notes: first published by Dunning (1934, fig 6.15). Associ­ mortaria, closely followed by local products and with a ated at the kiln-site with lvnivs (Hartley 1972, 374). small showing by Verulamium region producers. See G Atisivs GraNs and ? Silivs, below. CACUMAITUS Local production of mortaria builds up through the origin: NE Gaul late first/early second centuries (along with other coarse date: AD 65-100 wares and fine wares) while Verulamium drops out after sites: 13/83 (Southgate Street, late seventeenth century the Flavian period and NE Gaulish sources replace those context) from further south to become the most common type notes: Reads '[OFClACUMATII'. (Fig l.M1) (Ireland 1983, 108-109). Six Gaulish stamps, three local and one Verulamium region are listed below. Note also CASSARIUS a worn stamp on a local mortarium from the mid-late origin: NE Gaul second century town defences (Timby 1986, fig. date: AD 65-100 29.8). sites: 77/69 (Hurst forthcoming). 13/83 (Southgate Street, During the second century, the producers of nineteenth century context) Mancetter-Hartshill mortaria greatly increased their share notes: the South~ Street stamp (Fig l.M2), reading 'CASSARIFE'(cit) permits a full reading of stamps of the market at the expense of local and regional from Great Casterton and Richborough. The two producers. Compare the six M/H stamps (below) with stamps from Berkeley Street are from this potter's five from Caerleon, Wroxeter and ?Oxfordshire plus one more commonly used die, previously read as import. There are of course several mortarium fabrics 'CAV ARIVS'. C J Going tells me that three that cannot yet be closely dated. Oxfordshire mortaria mortaria stamped with this potter's more common (white-ware, white-slipped and red colour-coated) are die have been found in the Thames Estuary, off the most common from the early third century, by which Whitstable. Colin Wallace 71 MI M2 M3 M4 M5 M6 M8 F19· . 1·. Makers' stamps on mortaria (scale 1:1) 72 Colin Wallace CUNDA(?) from the Lunt (Hartley, in Hobley 1975, fig 6.1) origin: Gloucester also has one reading LVGY (on re-reading), perhaps date: c. AD 60-90 the place of manufacture. sites: 77/69 (Hurst forthcoming), two SILIVS(?) DECANIUS origin: suggest Gallia Narbonenesis origin: Wroxeter area date: c. AD 50-85 date: c. AD 110-150 sites: Kingsholm Square (unpublished from discoveries sites: College of Art (kilns) (Hartley, in Rawes 1973, fig 1951 during road-making, GCM A2938). 8.Mll) East Gate (Hartley, in Ireland 1983, fig notes: this stamp has been studied by Kay Hartley, who 68.142). contributes the following: notes: the better-preserved of the two, from the College of A complete, but unfortunately not very sharply Art, is here shown re-drawn at a more suitable scale impressed stamp with a slightly damaged surface. (Fig M3) Although several readings are possible, SWVFEC is the most likely ('I' can easily be read; the first lambda 'L' is clear). GEMINUS Whatever the reading, this potter is otherwise origin: perhaps Oxfordshire unknown in Britain but could well be the same date: mid second century potter as a stamp from Lezoux interpreted by sites: 77/69 (Hurst forthcoming) Hirschfeld as SWYfE for 'Siliv(s) fe(cit)' (elL XIII, 10006.87; the stamp cannot now be found). GRATINUS There will be no certainty until another stamp or the origin: Mancetter- Hartshill one from the Plicque collection turns up. date: AD 130-160 The Kingsholm stamp is on a fonn Gillam 236 sites: 77/69 (Hurst forthcoming) which was primarily used by the Atisii of Aoste (Isere) in Gallia Narbonensis, c. AD 50-85. The ICOTASGUS (retro.) form is distinctive and its date well attested: this origin: Mancetter-Hartshill example is almost certainly an import from Gallia date: c. AD 130-160 Narbonensis or the adjoining part of Gallia sites: 2/84 (Park Street, late Roman context) Lugdunensis (Fig.1M6). notes: (Fig l.M4) AULUS TERENTIUS RIPANUS IUNIUS (Retro) origin: SW England, probably Gloucester origin: Mancetter-Hartshill date: c. AD 60-90 date: AD 150-180 sites: Gloucester (Birley 1949, fig 2.2). Eastgate House (i) single stamp (unpublished, Gloucester City Museum) sites: new Market Hall (Hartley, in Hassall & Rhodes 1975, fig 8.1) 9/83W (Gambler Parry, second LITUGENUS II century context) origin: NE Gaul notes: reads 'ATERENTI/RIPANI' when complete (neither date: AD 65-100 example is). (Fig 1M7 for 9/83W) sites: 9/83W (Gambier Parry, post-Roman context) notes: reads 'LITVGEN/lVGIFIL'. (Fig.l.M5) (ii) two stamps sites: Gloucester (Birley 1949, fig 2.3). College of Art possibly LOSSA or ORBISSA (kilns) (Hartley, in Rawes 1973, fig.8.M10) 53/69 origin: NE Gaul (Hurst forthcoming). date: c. AD 70-100 notes: reads 'ATERE' and 'RIPANI'. The College of Art sites: 77/69 (Hurst forthcoming) stamp is here shown redrawn at a more suitable scale (Fig 1M8). Antony Birley (1979, 132) notes MINOMELUS that the cognomen is rare in Britain and raises the origin: Mancetter- Hartshill slight possibility that A T erentivs may be a kinsman date: c. AD 135-165 of the contemporary Q Rvtilivs Ripanvs active in the sites: Kingsholm Close (Hurst 1985, Fig. 33.2) Verularnium region. SECUNDUS VACASATUS origin: SW England, probably Gloucester origin: Gallia Belgia date: c. AD 60-85 date: second century sites: new Market Hall (Hartley, in Hassall & Rhodes sites: Crypt School grounds (Birley 1949, fig 2.4) 1975, fig 8.2) notes: reads 'VACASATVS/BRARIA TI F (ilivs),. Hartley notes: reads 'SECF(ecit)'. A mortarium with this stamp (1972,379) notes that there is now no evidence that Colin Wallace 73 Vacasatvs made and stamped amphorae, as was MELVS 2 once thought. origin: Wroxeter area date: c. AD 110-150 QUINTUS VALERlUS (perhaps ESUNERTUS) site: Tredington Rise (Rawes, in Fowler and Walthew origin: NE Gaul 1972, fig 3.51) date: c. AD 50-90 sites: Crypt School grounds (GCM A898). This would SEPETACUS seem to be the stamp mentioned from the angle origin: perhaps Oxfordshire tower (Anon 1932, 282), unpublished by Dunning date: c. AD 110-150 (1934) or Birley (the GCM catalogue notes its site: Tredington Rise (Rawes, op cit, fig 3.52) provenance as the boys' trench, however). reads: 'SEPETACVS/FECIT SVL[l]O', the last word notes: this stamp has also been reported on by Kay perhaps a place-name. Both the stamps from this Hartley: site were reported on by Kay Hartley. The upper line reads 'QVI.VAL' but the lower line is poorly impressed, '[.]S[.]NN[.]E'. Only the discovery of more stamps from the same die will Bibliography permit the certain identification of this potter but it Anon 1932 'Gloucester Roman Research Committee Report, is possible that it is from a die of Qvintvs Valerivs 1931-32', Trans Bristol Gloucestershire Archaeol Esvnertvs. The dating is arrived at on the rim form. Soc 53, 1931,267-284 Birley A 1979 The People of Roman Britain, London QUINTUS V ALERlUS VERANIUS Birley E 1949 'Mortarium - Stamps in Gloucester Museum'. origin: NE Gaul Trans Bristol Gloucestershire Archaeol Soc 67, date: AD 65-100 1946-48, 374-380 Dunning G C, 1934 'Report on Pottery found in the Crypt School grounds, Gloucester, 1931-32', Trans Bristol (i) As Richborough 87 (Hartley 1968, plate LXXXIX) Gloucestershire Archaeol Soc, 55, 1933,277-291 sites: King's Square (Birley 1949, fig 2.5) Fowler P J and Walthew c v (eds) 'Archaeology and the M5 notes: reads 'QV ALERIV[S]NERANIV[S]' Motorway First Report', Trans Bristol Gloucestershire Archaeol Soc 90, 1971, 22-63 Hartley K F 1968 'The Mortaria and Their Origins', pp (li) 'place-name die' 172-183 of B W Cunliffe (ed), Fifth Report on the sites: Kingsholm (Birley 1949, fig 2.6). 57n7 (Hartley, in Excavation of the ROmLln Fort at Richborough, Kent Heighway & Garrod 1980, fig.12).