Terra sigillata bowl

Description

The bowl, decorated with flowers and foliage, bears the stamp of the potter Gabianus. In the Roman Empire special sigillata, or terracotta stamped by the potter or factory owner, was often used as tableware and crockery. A great variety of vessels were mass produced in large potteries, first in Italy, then in southern central France, then from the C2 AD in Germany and from the C3 AD in Switzerland (for example, in Lausanne ; Berne). In addition to the high quality imported sigillata crockery, similar pottery was sold more cheaply as a local product in most areas. A dish of the quality of the illustrated here cost about 20 asses, roughly, equivalent to a day's wages for a soldier or a worker.