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« on: October 08, 2014, 09:25:19 AM » |
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By Victoria Woollaston Published: 11:10, 6 October 2014
Three years since it was discovered during excavations on an ancient cemetery, a rare bronze Roman cockerel has been given a permanent home.
The 2nd century figurine is believed to be one of only nine ever found in the Roman Empire, and is part of a new exhibition at the Corinium Museum in the Cirencester.
Other finds on display include a hoard of almost 1,500 Roman coins, and the perfectly preserved vase it was found in.
This bronze and enamel cockerel was found in a child's grave in Roman Cirencester in 2011 - and has been painstakingly restored. It is now on display at the Corinium Museum
Archaeologists made the discoveries three years ago while excavating a western cemetery at the former Bridges Garage site on Tetbury Road in Cirencester - or Corinium as it was known when it was the second largest town in Roman Britain.
The bronze and enamel cockerel was said to have been placed in the grave of the two-year-old Roman girl by her parents, and experts believe it was used to ask the Gods to protect her.
They also believe the expensive gift was placed in the grave to ease their daughter's transition into the 'next world'.
MESSENGER TO THE ROMAN GODS
The child was buried wearing hobnailed shoes and was accompanied by a pottery feeding vessel, and the remarkable enamelled bronze figurine of a cockerel.
The cockerel is 5-inches tall (12.5cm) and the breast, wings, eyes and ‘comb’ are inlaid with enamel, which now appears blue and green.
There is a separately moulded tail plate, also enamelled, with ‘openwork’ decoration.
The beak is shown open, in the act of crowing.
It is believed that the Romans gave religious significance to the cockerel which was known to be connected with Mercury.
Experts claim it was Mercury, a messenger to the gods, that was also responsible for conducting newly-deceased souls to the afterlife.
Statues of this god, including one in the Corinium Museum, commonly show a cockerel at the base.
The association probably stems from Mercury’s role as the messenger to the gods and that of the cockerel as ‘announcer’ of the new dawn.
Mercury was also the ‘herdsman for the dead’, guiding newly deceased souls on their passage to the afterlife.
It is therefore possible that the cockerel was an offering by a devotee of Mercury and expresses a parent’s particular concern to ensure safe transit of a loved one into the after world.
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'It is the most significant Roman cemetery investigation in the town since the early 1970s,' said a spokesman for the town’s Corinium Museum.
'The cockerel found underneath the former Bridge’s Garage site - now St James’s Place - is one of only nine known cockerel figurines from the Roman world, and is the only example with its tail intact.
'Displayed with the cockerel are an exceptional example of a Roman flagon and a selection of jewellery which include beads and bracelets found in a richly furnished child’s grave.
'These are high status objects, which give a fascinating insight into the people of Corinium.
Neil Holbrook, Chief Executive of Cotswold Archaeology added: 'The cockerel is the most spectacular find from more than 60 Roman burials excavated at this site.
'It was excavated from the grave of young child and was placed close to its head. Interestingly a very similar item was found in Cologne in Germany and it looks like they both could have come from the same workshop based in Britain.'
The Tetbury Hoard, also on display at the museum, contain 1,437 silver and copper-alloy 3rd century Roman coins.
'The hoard is the museum’s first Roman Coin Hoard and comes from a fascinating period of political upheaval across the Roman Empire,' continued the museum's spokesman.
'It was a time of rapid succession of rulers and usurpers. The coins themselves tell this story.
'Depictions and inscriptions represent 12 emperors from just a 16 year period.'
The child was buried wearing hobnailed shoes and was accompanied by a pottery feeding vessel and the remarkable enamelled bronze figurine of a cockerel.
The cockerel is 5-inches tall (12.5cm) and the breast, wings, eyes and ‘comb’ are inlaid with enamel, which now appears blue and green.
There is a separately moulded tail plate, also enamelled, with ‘openwork’ decoration. The beak is shown open, in the act of crowing.
The bronze and enamel cockerel (pictured) was said to have been placed in the grave of the two-year-old Roman girl by her parents, and experts believe it was used to ask the Gods to protect her. They also believe the expensive gift was placed in the grave to ease their daughter's transition into the 'next world'
Archaeologists made the discoveries three years ago while excavating a western cemetery at the former Bridges Garage site on Tetbury Road in Cirencester. The finds are now on display at the Corinium Museum (pictured) in the town
The Tetbury Hoard, a selection of which is also on display at the museum (pictured), contains 1,437 silver and copper-alloy 3rd century Roman coins. The perfectly preserved vase the hoard was found in is also on display
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The conservation work took four months to be painstakingly carried out by experts.
Archaeologist Neil Holbrook, from Cotswold Archaeology, said the work had 'exceeded expectations', particularly for highlighting its fine enamel detail.
'It reinforces what a fantastic article this is and how highly prized and expensive it must have been,' he said.
'This must have cost, in current money, thousands of pounds to buy and countless hours to make, and so to actually put this into the grave of a two or three-year-old child is not something that you would do lightly.
'It really shows that this was a very wealthy, important family, and signifies the love that the parents had for the dead child.'
A burial site was unearthed at the site including more than 40 burials and four cremations; something experts said was the largest archaeological find in the town since the 1970s.
This particular figurine is one of only four ever found in Britain, with a total of eight known from the whole of the Roman Empire.
Mr Holbrook added: 'Without a doubt this is the best Roman cockerel ever found in Britain.
'This is the best find that I have seen come out of Cirencester in 30 to 40 years and is of national significance.'
The object is believed to have been made in northern Britain, with evidence pointing to a workshop in Castleford, West Yorkshire, which made enamel artefacts.
Talks are under way to find a permanent display site for the cockerel, possibly at the Corinium Museum in Cirencester.
WHERE DID THE COCKEREL COME FROM?
Only nine similar cockerel figurines are known from the Roman world, including four from Britain.
The similarities in construction and decoration suggest that they were made at roughly the same time and could have come from the same workshop.
Our example is the only one from Britain to have come from a grave and the only one from any location to have survived with a tail.
The two which are closest in form are from Cologne in Germany and Buchten in the Netherlands.
In these examples the enamelling survives in the original colours of yellow, blue and red and it is probable that the Cirencester example was originally just as brightly coloured.
Britain produced some of the finest enamelled objects in the Roman Empire and these were traded as far afield as Germany, France, Spain and Italy.
The four enamelled cockerels from the continent all come from Germany and the Low Countries.
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