Roman counterweight with Greek bust found in Cockermouth

[guy]

 

A small counterbalance from the 1st century AD with the image of the Greek god Silenus has been found in Cockermouth, Northern England. (Silenus was rhe Greek god of wine and drunkenness.)

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According to Edward Dougherty from Northern Archaeological Associates Ltd, the area of Cockermouth in the Roman period during the 1st and 2nd century AD would have been a regional hub leading to forts on the Cumbrian cast such as nearby Burrow Walls Roman Fort and Alauna (Maryport).

Excavations also uncovered evidence of a Roman road that appears to be aligned towards a bridge crossing on the River Derwent, in addition to the foundations of what appears to be Roman house plots. Most of the ceramics recovered are Samian ware, a high-status pottery used in Roman Britain which was mainly made in the southern, central and eastern areas of Gaul (France).

 

 

(Cockermouth is about 300 miles or 500 km north of London)

Edited April 19, 2023 by guy

[guy]

 

Here is a follow-up to the post above. Above is a better image of the steelyard weight (a counterweight used on a balance). It takes the form of Silenus, a wise, old drunken satyr who was a companion of Bacchus, the Roman god of wine.

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Also found a statue of a sitting Fortuna and an altar inscribed with a dedication to Jupiter, which were recovered from tumbled material that clearly formed part of a pier.

The dedication read: "To Jupiter Best and Greatest, the First Cohort of Vangiones commanded by the prefect Iuventianus, under the direction of Sextus/Tilus, Fronto, centurion of the Twentieth Legion Valeria Victrix."

 

https://www.newsandstar.co.uk/news/25139914.discoveries-roman-life-cockermouth-area-revealed/

 

 

 

Edited 19 hours ago by guy