VESSEL

A sherd fragment from the flange of a Roman Samian ware vessel, probably a bowl, dating to c. AD 150- 250.

The sherd has a soft fired, very fine reddish orange fabric, with occasional fine chalk and blackstone inclusions. The vessel has an everted flange that thickens slightly towards its rounded edge. After the rim the sherd's body become more straight sided before terminating in an irregular break. The outside of the vessel has an impressed u-shaped groove running across its surface at the break in angle. Although chipped away in places the sherd is coated with an orange-red slip. It is possible to make of slight transverse lines running across the sherd indicating that is has been wheel made.

The chipping of the coating on what would have been the upper surface of the flange is indicative of applied barbatine decoration, now lost.

The sherd is 19.0mm long, 6.8mm wide 5.2mm thick and weighs 3.33 grams. It is possible to estimate the original diameter for the vessel of 160mm from the outside of the rim and that this sherd represents less than 5% of this total diameter.

The apparently everted rim rounded and barbatine decoration indicates that the sherd is from a bowl. It is most similar to forms 35 illustrated by Webster (1996, 50) although it is not possible to be more precise without more of the vessel's profile surviving. Webster states that this form was used during the second half of the 2nd century and into the 3rd century (Webster 1996, 549). The fabric is consistent with those from a central Gaulish workshop.