Last month, James visited Wiltshire Museum Devizes to examine and photograph the Stanchester hoard container. A bronze ring fragment, three gold coins (solidi), thirty-three miliarenses and over 1,000 siliquae were found with the vessel by metal detectorists in 2000.
As you can see from the image below, only the lower portion of the vessel survives but we can learn a lot about the manufacture, use and wear of the item before its reuse as a container for the hoard.
The container is a flagon made from grey Alice Holt (ALH RE) ware. This type of Roman ware was produced on an industrial scale during the first to fifth centuries at a pottery production centre in southern Britain and is commonly found at Roman sites excavated in south-east England and London.
The interior of the vessel is covered in little stains from the presence of the coins. Examining the exterior surface of the flagon indicates that the vessel was used for a prolonged period before its deposition. The wear is most pronounced on the edge of the base below the position of the handle which may suggest that it was used by a right-handed person.
With the assistance of our Archaeology Technician, Lloyd Bosworth, the containers under study will also be documented using photography and 3D scanning. You can see the Stanchester flagon in the image above. Once complete, these 3D models will make this category of material far more accessible to study and engage with. We will be running outreach workshops as part of our project and will be using the models during these sessions. We also intend on sharing the models with museums to enhance their displays.