Roman Cetamura

Terra Sigillata Bowl


Period	Roman
Year	ca. 30 – 90 CE
Material	Ceramic
Location	Well #1
Cet. Inventory	Inv. C-12-456, 528, 532

This glossy red bowl is typical of fine Roman table ware in the period of the early Roman Empire. It featured an artist’s signature (now illegible) set into the shape of a footprint (called in planta pedis), in a form fashionable in that time.

Inv. C-12-456, 528, and 532. Prov. 5N/18W.83.2 and 85. H. 6.1. Diam. of base: 5.5; of rim: 12.5. Wt. 89 g. Munsell: 7.5YR 7/4 “pink” (paste); 2.5YR 4/8 “red” (slip)

Eleven joining fragments of terra sigillata bowl; approximately two-thirds of vase reconstructed. Slip shiny and well preserved on both interior and exterior of the bowl. Ring-foot base and pronounced flange on exterior below the rim. On the interior floor a poorly preserved “footprint” (in planta pedis) stamp with only a C (?) legible.

The most common type of fine Roman tableware, glossy red terra sigillata, has been found in abundance over the years in both Zones I and II at Cetamura, including, more recently, in Well # 1. Among the hundreds of fragments found are some of the earliest types of true Arretine ware from nearby Arezzo as well as terra sigillata produced at other sites in Italy. In addition to the many undecorated or plain ware fragments found at the site, a significant number of stamped vessels (31 in all) and decorative pieces have also been recovered. Many of the stamps found at Cetamura attest to the close ties between the site and Arezzo during the second half of the first century BCE and first century CE, with various names of Arretine artisans—of Greek, Roman, and Etruscan descent—preserved in the stamps.

Dating: Ca.15 CE or later for the in planta pedis stamp. Ca. 30–80/90 CE for the form. Found in Well Group VII (ca. 37–68 CE).

Bibl.: Conspectus, form 34. Goudineau 38b. Williams 1995, 113 (no. 87). Cetamura Antica 2000, 39 (cat. no. 146).