The Arcisate Treasure is a
Roman
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...
silver hoard found in the town of
Arcisate
Arcisate is a town and ''comune'' located in the province of Varese, in the Lombardy region of northern Italy. The celebrated Arcisate Treasure of Roman silverware was found in the town in the nineteenth century. It is now in the British Museum.
...
, northern
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
. Soon after its discovery in 1900, the treasure was acquired by the
British Museum
The British Museum is a public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is among the largest and most comprehensive in existence. It docum ...
According to scholars, the treasure's significance is due to the completeness of the set, the high quality of the craftsmanship and materials used to make it, as well as the
hoard
A hoard or "wealth deposit" is an archaeological term for a collection of valuable objects or artifacts, sometimes purposely buried in the ground, in which case it is sometimes also known as a cache. This would usually be with the intention of ...
's excellent state of preservation.
[P. Piana Agostinetti and S. Priuli, "Il tesoro di Arcisate", ''Archeologia Classica'', 37 (1985)]
Discovery
The treasure was found in Arcisate in the
province of Varese
The province of Varese ( it, provincia di Varese) is a Provinces of Italy, province in the region of Lombardy in northern Italy. Its capital is the city of Varese (population of 80,857 inhabitants), but its largest city is Busto Arsizio. The head ...
in 1900 and was almost immediately bought by Adolf Roger, who in turn sold it to the British Museum.
Description
The Arcisate Treasure is composed of five objects, all made of
silver
Silver is a chemical element with the Symbol (chemistry), symbol Ag (from the Latin ', derived from the Proto-Indo-European wikt:Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/h₂erǵ-, ''h₂erǵ'': "shiny" or "white") and atomic number 47. A soft, whi ...
. They include a jug, a cup (both handles of which are now missing), a
strainer
A sieve, fine mesh strainer, or sift, is a device for separating wanted elements from unwanted material or for controlling the particle size distribution of a sample, using a screen such as a woven mesh or net or perforated sheet material. T ...
, a ladle and a
spatula
A spatula is a broad, flat, flexible blade used to mix, spread and lift material including foods, drugs, plaster and paints.
In medical applications, "spatula" may also be used synonymously with tongue depressor.
The word ''spatula'' derives f ...
. The whole set would have been used for the
mixing and serving of wine, either for dining or for religious ceremonies. Various inscriptions indicate the treasure's previous owners - on the jug's base is inscribed "Utia T(iti) f(ilia) p(ondo)", which can be translated as 'Utia daughter of Titus'. The ladle is engraved with the following letters in
Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...
: "T. Uti V(ibi) f(ili) p(ondo) III sc(ripula) IV", which can be interpreted as 'This
ladle is the property of Titus Utius, son of Vibius, weighs three Roman pounds and four ounces'. Titus Utius was probably a
Roman citizen
Citizenship in ancient Rome (Latin: ''civitas'') was a privileged political and legal status afforded to free individuals with respect to laws, property, and governance. Citizenship in Ancient Rome was complex and based upon many different laws, t ...
, and father of Utia, who is referred to on the jug.
See also
*
Berthouville Treasure
The Berthouville treasure is a hoard of Roman silver uncovered by ploughing in March 1830 at the hamlet of Villeret in the commune of Berthouville in the Eure ''departments of France, département'' of Normandy, northern France. Purchased at the t ...
*
Hildesheim Treasure
The Hildesheim Treasure, unearthed on October 17, 1868 in Hildesheim, Germany, is the largest collection of Roman silver found outside imperial frontiers. Most of it can be dated to the 1st century AD. The trove consists of about seventy exquisi ...
*
Bursa Treasure
The Bursa Treasure or Brusa Treasure is the name of an early Roman silver hoard found in the city of Bursa, Turkey. Since 1913, the entire treasure has been at the British Museum.
Discovery and original ownership
In the early 20th century, a ri ...
240px, Silver spatular from the treasure.
Sources
*D. Strong, Greek and Roman Silver Plate (British Museum Press, 1966)
*L. Burn, The British Museum Book of Greek and Roman Art (British Museum Press, 1991)
*S. Walker, Roman Art (British Museum Press, 1991)
References
{{reflist
Ancient Greek and Roman objects in the British Museum
Silver objects
Treasure troves of classical antiquity
Archaeological discoveries in Italy
1900 archaeological discoveries
Ancient Roman metalwork
