Empress pepper pot
Encyclopedia
The Hoxne hoard pepper pot, commonly known as the Empress pepper pot, although it now seems not to represent an empress, is a silver
piperatorium, partially gilded
, dating from around 400 AD. It was found as part of the Hoxne Hoard
in Hoxne, Suffolk
, in November 1992, and is now in the British Museum
, where it is normally on display. It is a hollow silver statuette of the top half of a woman's body, with a mechanism to allow ground pepper or spices to be loaded into her base and then shaken out. The mechanism does not grind the pepper and has a rotatable disc with three positions. One position allows filling, another has fine holes to allow ground pepper out and another allows the pot to be closed. The pot was chosen as part of the 2010 BBC Radio 4 series, A History of the World in 100 Objects
, as item 40.
, which record the purchase of it for two denarii near Hadrian's Wall
. Other sites have revealed food flavourings including coriander
, poppyseed, celery, dill, summer savoury
, mustard
and fennel
. The existence of yet other flavourings is known from translations of surviving recipes.
Two 'pepper casters' were found at the House of Menander
in Pompeii
but these are ill-suited to setting upon a table, leading to suggestions that they were in fact used to sample wine rather than spread pepper. The only items which are unquestionably Roman piperatoria are all dated after 250 AD; they have been found at a number of locations: at Place Camille-Jouffres in Vienne
, France; among the Chaourse Treasure in the Aisne
département, France; at Nicolaevo in Bulgaria; and one of uncertain provenance, thought to be from Sidon
.
weights at a later period in the Eastern Roman Empire. At the time of the discovery of the Hoxne Hoard these steelyard weights were thought to represent an empress and so the name was also used for the pepper pot. However, subsequent thinking on the bronze weights has moved to the view that the design does not intend to depict an empress, or indeed any of the Roman goddesses. The figures are depicted holding a scroll, signifying education and affluence, but lack the diadem
s associated with an empress. Detailed work on the pepper pot independently suggests that "lady" would be a more appropriate label. Nevertheless, as the pepper pot had already received widespread publicity by this point, the title is retained though used advisedly.
Silver
Silver is a metallic chemical element with the chemical symbol Ag and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it has the highest electrical conductivity of any element and the highest thermal conductivity of any metal...
piperatorium, partially gilded
Gilding
The term gilding covers a number of decorative techniques for applying fine gold leaf or powder to solid surfaces such as wood, stone, or metal to give a thin coating of gold. A gilded object is described as "gilt"...
, dating from around 400 AD. It was found as part of the Hoxne Hoard
Hoxne Hoard
The Hoxne Hoard is the largest hoard of late Roman silver and gold discovered in Britain, and the largest collection of gold and silver coins of the fourth and fifth century found anywhere within the Roman Empire...
in Hoxne, Suffolk
Hoxne
Hoxne is an anciently established village in the Mid Suffolk district of Suffolk, England, about five miles east-southeast of Diss, Norfolk and one-half mile south of the River Waveney...
, in November 1992, and is now in the British Museum
British Museum
The British Museum is a museum of human history and culture in London. Its collections, which number more than seven million objects, are amongst the largest and most comprehensive in the world and originate from all continents, illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from its...
, where it is normally on display. It is a hollow silver statuette of the top half of a woman's body, with a mechanism to allow ground pepper or spices to be loaded into her base and then shaken out. The mechanism does not grind the pepper and has a rotatable disc with three positions. One position allows filling, another has fine holes to allow ground pepper out and another allows the pot to be closed. The pot was chosen as part of the 2010 BBC Radio 4 series, A History of the World in 100 Objects
A History of the World in 100 Objects
A History of the World in 100 Objects was a joint project of BBC Radio 4 and the British Museum, comprising a 100-part radio series written and presented by British Museum director Neil MacGregor...
, as item 40.
Pepper pots in Roman archaeology
Piperatoria are unusual in Roman archaeology. Four, including the Empress, were found in the Hoxne Hoard in England. These pepperpots are thought to have contained pepper or some other expensive spice. The evidence for pepper in particular has been drawn from mineralised black pepper which has been found at three sites recovered in the 1990s and from the Vindolanda tabletsVindolanda tablets
The Vindolanda tablets are "the oldest surviving handwritten documents in Britain". They are also probably our best source of information about life on Hadrian's Wall. Written on fragments of thin, post-card sized wooden leaf-tablets with carbon-based ink, the tablets date to the 1st and 2nd...
, which record the purchase of it for two denarii near Hadrian's Wall
Hadrian's Wall
Hadrian's Wall was a defensive fortification in Roman Britain. Begun in AD 122, during the rule of emperor Hadrian, it was the first of two fortifications built across Great Britain, the second being the Antonine Wall, lesser known of the two because its physical remains are less evident today.The...
. Other sites have revealed food flavourings including coriander
Coriander
Coriander is an annual herb in the family Apiaceae. Coriander is native to southern Europe and North Africa to southwestern Asia. It is a soft, hairless plant growing to tall. The leaves are variable in shape, broadly lobed at the base of the plant, and slender and feathery higher on the...
, poppyseed, celery, dill, summer savoury
Summer savory
Summer savory is the better known of the savory species. It is an annual, but otherwise is similar in use and flavor to the perennial winter savory...
, mustard
Mustard seed
Mustard seeds are the small round seeds of various mustard plants. The seeds are usually about 1 or 2 mm in diameter. Mustard seeds may be colored from yellowish white to black. They are important spices in many regional foods. The seeds can come from three different plants: black mustard , brown...
and fennel
Fennel
Fennel is a plant species in the genus Foeniculum . It is a member of the family Apiaceae . It is a hardy, perennial, umbelliferous herb, with yellow flowers and feathery leaves...
. The existence of yet other flavourings is known from translations of surviving recipes.
Two 'pepper casters' were found at the House of Menander
House of Menander
The House of Menander is a building in Pompeii, Italy. It is located in the southern half of the town, just northeast of the Little and Large Theaters, as well as the Gladiators’ barracks...
in Pompeii
Pompeii
The city of Pompeii is a partially buried Roman town-city near modern Naples in the Italian region of Campania, in the territory of the comune of Pompei. Along with Herculaneum, Pompeii was destroyed and completely buried during a long catastrophic eruption of the volcano Mount Vesuvius spanning...
but these are ill-suited to setting upon a table, leading to suggestions that they were in fact used to sample wine rather than spread pepper. The only items which are unquestionably Roman piperatoria are all dated after 250 AD; they have been found at a number of locations: at Place Camille-Jouffres in Vienne
Vienne
Vienne is the northernmost département of the Poitou-Charentes region of France, named after the river Vienne.- Viennese history :Vienne is one of the original 83 departments, established on March 4, 1790 during the French Revolution. It was created from parts of the former provinces of Poitou,...
, France; among the Chaourse Treasure in the Aisne
Aisne
Aisne is a department in the northern part of France named after the Aisne River.- History :Aisne is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790. It was created from parts of the former provinces of Île-de-France, Picardie, and Champagne.Most of the old...
département, France; at Nicolaevo in Bulgaria; and one of uncertain provenance, thought to be from Sidon
Sidon
Sidon or Saïda is the third-largest city in Lebanon. It is located in the South Governorate of Lebanon, on the Mediterranean coast, about 40 km north of Tyre and 40 km south of the capital Beirut. In Genesis, Sidon is the son of Canaan the grandson of Noah...
.
Name
There is a strong resemblance of the pepper pot to a design used for some steelyard balanceSteelyard balance
A steelyard balance or steelyard is a straight-beam balance with arms of unequal length. It incorporates a counterweight which slides along the calibrated longer arm to counterbalance the load and indicate its weight...
weights at a later period in the Eastern Roman Empire. At the time of the discovery of the Hoxne Hoard these steelyard weights were thought to represent an empress and so the name was also used for the pepper pot. However, subsequent thinking on the bronze weights has moved to the view that the design does not intend to depict an empress, or indeed any of the Roman goddesses. The figures are depicted holding a scroll, signifying education and affluence, but lack the diadem
Diadem
Diadem may refer to:*Diadem, a type of crown-Military:*HMS Diadem was a 64-gun third rate ship of the line in the Royal Navy launched in 1782 at Chatham and participated in the Battle of Cape St Vincent in 1787...
s associated with an empress. Detailed work on the pepper pot independently suggests that "lady" would be a more appropriate label. Nevertheless, as the pepper pot had already received widespread publicity by this point, the title is retained though used advisedly.
External links
- BBC audio file A History of the World in 100 ObjectsA History of the World in 100 ObjectsA History of the World in 100 Objects was a joint project of BBC Radio 4 and the British Museum, comprising a 100-part radio series written and presented by British Museum director Neil MacGregor...