Rudge Cup
Encyclopedia
The Rudge Cup is a small enamelled bronze cup found in 1725 at Rudge, in Wiltshire
. The cup was found down a well on the site of a Roman villa
. It is important in that it lists five of the forts on the western section of Hadrian's Wall
, thus aiding scholars in identifying the forts correctly. The information on the cup has been compared with the two major sources of information regarding forts on the Wall, the Notitia Dignitatum
and the Ravenna Cosmography
.
The cup is in the possession of the Duke of Northumberland
and is on display at Alnwick Castle
. A replica of the cup is on display at the British Museum
.
.
The inscription on the cup is as follows:
A MAIS ABALLAVA VXELODUM CAMBOGLANS BANNA
It is believed that these names are from an itinerary of the Wall from west to east, listing the forts as Mais (Bowness)
, Aballava
(Burgh-by-Sands), Uxelodunum (Stanwix
), Camboglanna
(Castlesteads) and Banna (Birdoswald).
, France
in 1949. It is similar to the Rudge Cup in that it has a representation of the Wall and a list of forts from west to east.
The inscription on the bowl is as follows:
MAIS ABALLAVA VXELODVNVM CAMBOG...S BANNA ESICA
The six forts listed on the Amiens Patera match the five forts on the Rudge Cup, with the addition of Aesica
(Great Chesters). The list differs from the Notitia Dignitatum
and the Ravenna Cosmography
, in that it misses out Magnis (Carvoran), which should come between Banna (Birdoswald) and Aesica (Great Chesters). It is believed that this omission is because Magnis was not actually on the Wall but was south of the Vallum
, having been originally built to guard the Stanegate
.
The Staffordshire Bowl, or Moorlands Patera
, was a bronze bowl found in Staffordshire
in 2003. It has an elaborate Celtic-style
enamelled decoration and has had a single handle. The inscription on the bowl lists four forts on Hadrian's Wall.
The inscription on the cup is as follows:
MAIS COGGABATA VXELODVNVM CAMMOGLANNA RIGOREVALI AELI DRACONIS
The four forts listed do not match the first four forts listed on the Rudge Cup and Amiens Skillet. The second fort on the Staffordshire Bowl is Coggabata
(Drumburgh), whereas the other two bowls have Aballava
(Burgh-by-Sands) as the second fort. The reason for this discrepancy is unclear, but the small size of Coggabata may explain its omission from the Rudge Cup and Amiens Skillet. It is thought that Rigorevali Aeli means On the line of Hadrian's Wall, as Aelius is the family name of Hadrian. Draconis probably refers to either the manufacturer or the person for whom the bowl was made, Draco.
Wiltshire
Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...
. The cup was found down a well on the site of a Roman villa
Roman villa
A Roman villa is a villa that was built or lived in during the Roman republic and the Roman Empire. A villa was originally a Roman country house built for the upper class...
. It is important in that it lists five of the forts on the western section of 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...
, thus aiding scholars in identifying the forts correctly. The information on the cup has been compared with the two major sources of information regarding forts on the Wall, the Notitia Dignitatum
Notitia Dignitatum
The Notitia Dignitatum is a unique document of the Roman imperial chanceries. One of the very few surviving documents of Roman government, it details the administrative organisation of the eastern and western empires, listing several thousand offices from the imperial court down to the provincial...
and the Ravenna Cosmography
Ravenna Cosmography
The Ravenna Cosmography was compiled by an anonymous cleric in Ravenna around AD 700. It consists of a list of place-names covering the world from India to Ireland. Textual evidence indicates that the author frequently used maps as his source....
.
The cup is in the possession of the Duke of Northumberland
Duke of Northumberland
The Duke of Northumberland is a title in the peerage of Great Britain that has been created several times. Since the third creation in 1766, the title has belonged to the House of Percy , which held the title of Earl of Northumberland from 1377....
and is on display at Alnwick Castle
Alnwick Castle
Alnwick Castle is a castle and stately home in the town of the same name in the English county of Northumberland. It is the residence of the Duke of Northumberland, built following the Norman conquest, and renovated and remodelled a number of times. It is a Grade I listed building.-History:Alnwick...
. A replica of the cup is on display at 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...
.
Description
It believed that the cup once formed part of a set of ornamental souvenir bowls. It shows a schematic drawing of Hadrian's Wall originally picked out in coloured enamels with turrets and milecastlesMilecastle
A milecastle was a small fort , a rectangular fortification built during the period of the Roman Empire. They were placed at intervals of approximately one Roman mile along several major frontiers, for example Hadrian's Wall in Great Britain , hence the name.Along Hadrian's Wall, milecastles were...
.
The inscription on the cup is as follows:
A MAIS ABALLAVA VXELODUM CAMBOGLANS BANNA
It is believed that these names are from an itinerary of the Wall from west to east, listing the forts as Mais (Bowness)
Mais (Bowness)
Mais, or Maia, in Cumbria, England was a Roman fort on Hadrian's Wall, and was the last fort at the western end of the Wall....
, Aballava
Aballava
Aballava or Aballaba was a Roman fort on Hadrian's Wall, between Petriana to the east and Coggabata to the west...
(Burgh-by-Sands), Uxelodunum (Stanwix
Stanwix
Stanwix is a district of Carlisle, Cumbria in North West England. It is located on the north side of River Eden, across from Carlisle city centre. Although long counted as a suburb it did not officially become part of the city until 1912 when part of the civil parish of Stanwix became part of the...
), Camboglanna
Camboglanna
Camboglanna was a Roman fort. It was the twelfth fort on Hadrian's Wall counting from the east, between Banna to the east and Uxelodunum to the west. It was almost west of Birdoswald, on a high bluff commanding the Cambeck Valley...
(Castlesteads) and Banna (Birdoswald).
Amiens Skillet
The Amiens Skillet, or Amiens Patera, is a bronze bowl with a single long handle found at AmiensAmiens
Amiens is a city and commune in northern France, north of Paris and south-west of Lille. It is the capital of the Somme department in Picardy...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
in 1949. It is similar to the Rudge Cup in that it has a representation of the Wall and a list of forts from west to east.
The inscription on the bowl is as follows:
MAIS ABALLAVA VXELODVNVM CAMBOG...S BANNA ESICA
The six forts listed on the Amiens Patera match the five forts on the Rudge Cup, with the addition of Aesica
Aesica
Aesica was a Roman fort, one and a half miles north of the small town of Haltwhistle in Northumberland. It was the ninth fort on Hadrian's Wall, between Vercovicium to the east and Magnis to the west. Its purpose was to guard the Caw Gap, where the Haltwhistle Burn crosses the Wall...
(Great Chesters). The list differs from the Notitia Dignitatum
Notitia Dignitatum
The Notitia Dignitatum is a unique document of the Roman imperial chanceries. One of the very few surviving documents of Roman government, it details the administrative organisation of the eastern and western empires, listing several thousand offices from the imperial court down to the provincial...
and the Ravenna Cosmography
Ravenna Cosmography
The Ravenna Cosmography was compiled by an anonymous cleric in Ravenna around AD 700. It consists of a list of place-names covering the world from India to Ireland. Textual evidence indicates that the author frequently used maps as his source....
, in that it misses out Magnis (Carvoran), which should come between Banna (Birdoswald) and Aesica (Great Chesters). It is believed that this omission is because Magnis was not actually on the Wall but was south of the Vallum
Vallum
Vallum is a term applied either to the whole or a portion of the fortifications of a Roman camp. The vallum usually comprised an earthen or turf rampart with a wooden palisade on top, with a deep outer ditch...
, having been originally built to guard the Stanegate
Stanegate
The Stanegate, or "stone road" , was an important Roman road built in what is now northern England. It linked two forts that guarded important river crossings; Corstopitum in the east, situated on Dere Street, and Luguvalium in the west...
.
Staffordshire Moorlands Patera
Patera
A patera was a broad, shallow dish used for drinking, primarily in a ritual context such as a libation. These paterae were often used in Rome....
, was a bronze bowl found in Staffordshire
Staffordshire
Staffordshire is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. Part of the National Forest lies within its borders...
in 2003. It has an elaborate Celtic-style
Celtic art
Celtic art is the art associated with the peoples known as Celts; those who spoke the Celtic languages in Europe from pre-history through to the modern period, as well as the art of ancient peoples whose language is uncertain, but have cultural and stylistic similarities with speakers of Celtic...
enamelled decoration and has had a single handle. The inscription on the bowl lists four forts on Hadrian's Wall.
The inscription on the cup is as follows:
MAIS COGGABATA VXELODVNVM CAMMOGLANNA RIGOREVALI AELI DRACONIS
The four forts listed do not match the first four forts listed on the Rudge Cup and Amiens Skillet. The second fort on the Staffordshire Bowl is Coggabata
Coggabata
Coggabata, or Congavata / Concavata, was a Roman fort on Hadrian's Wall, between Aballava to the east and Mais to the west. It was built on a hill commanding views over the flatter land to the east and west and to the shore of the Solway Firth to the north...
(Drumburgh), whereas the other two bowls have Aballava
Aballava
Aballava or Aballaba was a Roman fort on Hadrian's Wall, between Petriana to the east and Coggabata to the west...
(Burgh-by-Sands) as the second fort. The reason for this discrepancy is unclear, but the small size of Coggabata may explain its omission from the Rudge Cup and Amiens Skillet. It is thought that Rigorevali Aeli means On the line of Hadrian's Wall, as Aelius is the family name of Hadrian. Draconis probably refers to either the manufacturer or the person for whom the bowl was made, Draco.