2011-07-26 11:37:38 Kath Creed kcreed 2012-01-23 17:21:24 Philippa Walton pwalton LON-E98F21 TOKEN A worn and corroded Roman copper alloy spintria, dating to the late first century BC to early first century AD. The object comprises a flat, copper alloy disc. On the obverse are two naked lovers engaged in a sexual act; the female lies on her front beneath the male who straddles her. They lie on a bed or couch decorated with a swag. The depiction is classifed as 'Scene V' by Buttrey 1973. On the reverse are the Roman numerals 'XIIII', with a dot above the last two 'I', inside a circumferential border. An exact parallel for this spintria exists in the Department of Coins and Medals' collection at the British Museum (R 4476). Although 'spintriae' are commonly identified as brothel tokens, due to the erotic nature of some scenes depicted on them, there is no evidence to suggest that they were used in such a manner. They are not mentioned in any ancient sources, nor have they been found in buildings identified as 'brothels'. It is equally likely that they acted as gaming counters, and that the erotic images on them were merely decorative. For a more detailed discussion of their function and dating, see Buttrey, T. (1973) 'The spintriae as a historical source' Numismatic Chronicle Vol. XIII, p. 52-68 and Chapter 8 in Clarke, J.R. (1998): Looking at Lovemaking: Constructions of Sexuality in Roman Art (Berkeley). A worn and corroded Roman copper alloy spintria, dating to the late first century BC to early first century AD. The object comprises a flat, copper alloy disc. On the obverse are two naked lovers engaged in a sexual act; the female lies on her front beneath the male who straddles her. They lie on... This is an important find and exciting find for London as the majority of spintriae are unprovenanced. However, as the spintria was not found in a closed context, it is impossible to determine whether the spintria was lost during the Roman period or more recently. It transpires that a further spintria was discovered on Skegness beach. The SMR record can be accessed at: http://www.heritagegateway.org.uk/Gateway/Results_Single.aspx?uid=MLI41709&resourceID=1006 However, this spintria shows no signs of wear or patination, suggesting that it was not an ancient loss. The Skegness example may be an antiquarian/modern loss or perhaps a modern forgery. Copper alloy ROMAN ROMAN ROMAN -27 37 17.7 18.9 2.5 Complete 2011-07-26 11:37:38 GREATER LONDON HAMMERSMITH AND FULHAM FULHAM POINT( ) Calculated from parish centroid TQ27NE TQ2575 29.06.2003 Metal detector Found on the Thames foreshore 1 LON Creative Commons Non Commercial Share Alike - The Portable Antiquities Scheme 2011 These records can be reproduced in a non commercial enviroment as long as the original recorder is cited. The Portable Antiquities Scheme info@finds.org.uk No fees are applicable.