Thank you Shawn and Joe. I
hope it is okay that I have broadened the title of this
thread, so anyone is welcome to add and discuss similar objects. Here is the Chair/Throne mentioned above, one of which is also recorded in the photo of the finds from the
Roman tomb (I have also added a more detailed shot of that piece from a different angle which more clearly shows the decoration). It took us a while to figure out what this object actually was until we turned it the right way up, and now the photo from the tomb certainly confirms it! As always, any comments or corrections are most welcome. Jimi.
BCC L24
Miniature Lead Throne or Chair
Greco-Roman? Eastern
1st-6th Century CE?
Miniature
cast lead throne or chair with a cross-hatch pattern front and back.
Perhaps a
votive offering or a toy. The seat is pierced, presumably to secure a
figure, and the front of the foot
area is inscribed with the letter A? An almost
microscopic fleck of gold on the back of the chair may suggest it was decoratively
gilded. Similar objects are known from
Roman tombs,
cf. "Toys from the Tomb
of
Julia Graphis of Brescello", Musei Civici di Reggio Emilia.
3.65cm. x 2.5cm. x 1.1cm. 17.05gm.
Surface find
Caesarea Maritima, 1975
click for larger pic
