dos espejos romanos

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Two Roman Mirrors from Corbridge

Author(s): G. Lloyd-MorganSource: Britannia, Vol. 8 (1977), pp. 335-338Published by: Society for the Promotion of Roman StudiesStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/525907

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Two RomanMirrors romCorbridgeBy G. LLOYD-MORGAN

AMONG the finds n the sitemuseumat Corbridgere two related ilveredbronze mirrors. Although there are no details about the precise findspot, they can be paralleledby a number of mirrorsfound mainlyin the

region of the Lower Rhine, and by several undecoratedexamplesfrom excava-tions in England.* The first piece is a large fragment of an almost plain disc(PL. XVIII A), slightly convex on its reflecting side and with a narrow slightlyconvex borderon the under side, marked off from the body of the mirrorbya single engravedline 0o8cm from the edge. The fragment measures7.6 by 6.ocm; the original diameterwould have been about 9.8 cm.The second piece differs from the first only on the underside (PL. XVIII B).Here three lines mark off the narrowborder.There is a further series of threeconcentric circles at a distance roughly 3 radius from the centre. A compass-drawn design between these two bands is made up of four double semicirclestaken from four points on the inner series of circles, each touching at a pointon this ring, so as to producethe effect of a four-petalledflower. Between each,a rayhas been drawn to a point on the outer seriesof circles;these are obliquelyhatched. On either side of each is a decorativedot-and-circlepattern.There is afurther dot-and-circleplaced at random inside the 'petal'. Unfortunately thismirror is not complete and the design has been reconstructed from the eightsurviving fragments. The original diameter would have been about 10 cm.Although there is no trace on either of the Corbridgepieces, some parallelpieces have a straphandle across the back.1

* I would like to thank the Directors and staff of all museums who gave me permission tostudy and refer to their mirrors. Without their help and co-operation the initial research forthis paper could not have been completed. Final research for this note was carried out whilstholding a scholarship from the Netherlands Ministry of Education and Science (InternationalRelations Department). The first draft was read by Dr D. J. Smith, Keeper of the Museum ofAntiquities, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, and Curator of the Corbridge site museum. It was also readby the late Miss M. H. P. den Boesterd of Rijksmuseum G.M. Kam, and Dr P. Stuart of theRijksmuseum van Oudheden te Leiden, who offered many useful suggestions and criticisms.Any opinions or errors are mine alone. I would like to thank both Dr Stuart and Dr A. V. M.Hubrecht, Director of Rijksmuseum Kam, for their unfailing encouragement and hospitalityduring frequent and extended visits to their museums. Finally, thanks are due to my tutors inthe University of Birmingham for help and guidance over many years. The reconstruction-drawings were prepared with the help of Mr Peter Alebon of the Grosvenor Musum, Chester.1A related group W, with handles across the back, includes the Simpelveld mirror from the335


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Only the first mirror is paralleled from excavations in this country. Onepiece excavatedby Newstead from the mainly Antonine cemetery at InfirmaryField, Chester, is fragmentarybut would originallyhave been about 90ocm indiameter.2Another similar example, complete with handle, was found duringmore recent excavations at St Albans, associatedwith a cremationburial. Thepottery has been provisionallydated to the second or third century.3There are no parallelsfor the design on the decoratedCorbridgemirror,buta few pieces from the continent come fairly close. One fragment from a gravefind at Cuijk is almost identical, but lacks the dot-and-circle decoration.4Another piece from a privatecollection in Regensburghas three double semi-circles touching the inner circle, and three angular hatched rays (FIG. I A).5

FIG. I. Design on bronze mirrorfrom Kastell Pforring (left) and from Udine (right) ().Like the Cuijk fragment it has no dot-and-circledecoration. Other examplesdiffer in that they have a slightly more elaborateand closer packed design be-tween the two limited series of concentric circles. Where the Corbridgedesignrelies on only four bold semi-circlestouching the inner ring, these other pieceshave a largernumber that intersect. Examples from Aquileia and Rome haveten such semicirclesrunninground this ring.6Where these touch the inner ringcelebratedsarcophagus,now in the Rijksmuseumvan Oudhedente Leiden (No. e I930/12.8), andmore distantly,the Wroxetermirrorin subgroupWa, now in Clive House Museum, Shrewsbury(D. Atkinson, Report on Excavations at Wroxeter 1923-27 (Oxford I942, reprinted I970),I96-8, pl. 46).

2 R. Newstead, Liverpool Annals of Archaeology and Anthropology 8, no. 2 (I92I), 50-5I,grave 30, diam. 9.o cm, silvered bronze; now in the Grosvenor Museum,Chester.3 67 0277. From St Albans, area SUAD Burial 4, Dr Ian Stead's excavations, at present inthe Departmentof the Environment.4Noordbrabantsmuseum, s Hertogenbosch No. 494 I, 2.6 by 3.6 cm, diameter originallyc. 9-3 cm, silvered bronze.Said to have come from a cremation grave in the cemetery of Kastell Pf6rring.6 I59II, diam. I2.8 cm, silvered bronze; I5913, diam. 9.6 cm, silvered bronze; both in theMuseo Archeologico, Aquileia: Antiquarium,Capitoline Museums, Rome, No. 16231, diam.I0-4 cm, describedas 'bronze and antimony'.

336 G. LLOYD-MORGAN


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TWO ROMAN MIRRORS FROM CORBRIDGEa compass-drawn eaf or ray has been added linking this ring with the outerone, which is also grazed by semicircles. These rays, like the angular ones inthe Corbridgepiece, are hatched. There is a dot-and-circlepatternat the pointwhere the semicircles cut, and another lies directly beneath. Another piecefrom Siscia but with only eight semicircles still has the spatulate ends of thehandle soldered in position.7 A variant example now in Udine (FIG. I B), has,instead of the normal diagonal hatchings, lines drawnparallelto the main axisat the tip of each ray, joined by a central cross.8 An incomplete example fromthe legionary fortress at Mainz has the usual pattern of ten intersecting semi-circles.9But, like the Cuijkfragment, it lacks the dot-and-circleornament. Therays are angular and hatched in the same fashion as the Corbridge piece. Arelated piece, probably from Heddernheim, again differs slightly.l0 It has apattern of six intersecting semicircles and only one dot-and-circlebetween thehatched,roundedrays. It also lacks the thirdseries of concentric circles aroundthe centre which are found in the Rome and Aquileia examples.Another piecewhich may be related to the Corbridgemirror is in the Vatican Museum.1lUnfortunately only partof the design,an angularhatchedray coming out froman inner series of concentric circles and touching the outer one, can be distin-guished. Finally, there are two small fragments from the Netherlands. Onefrom dredgingthe Rhine bottom at Maurik, has the same angular ray and adot-and-circlepattern.'2A slightly largerpiece in the RijksmuseumG.M. Kam,Nijmegen, has an angularhatched ray with a dot-and-circlepattern.13These pieces form part of a much larger group, typified by the low convexmouldedborderseparatedfrom the body of the mirrorby one or more concen-tric circles. Some of these mirrors may have originally had a handle similarto the one suviving on the St Albans example, but many mirror discs are toofragmentaryfor the solder points, if any, to be identified. Like the Corbridgepieces, they can either be totally plain or decoratedwith compass-drawn,geo-metric or dot-and-circlepatterns. The design on the mirrors in this group isquite different from the usual decoration found on mirrorswithin Italy and theWesternProvinces,which rely for effect mainly on turnedconcentric circles ora mouldedor patternededging.l4The use of extra inciseddecoration occurs on7Arheoloski Muzej,Zagreb,No. 4514, diam. Io02 cm. Another fragmentin the same museum,No. 4516 also from Siscia still has discernible traces of one hatched ray and a dot-and-circlepattern over intersecting semicircles.8Museo Civico e Gallerie d'Arte Antica, Udine, No. 1139, incomplete, diam. II-4 cm.9 diam. c. 9 cm, not located. G. Behrens, Mainzer Zeitschrift, 12/13 (I917-I8), 30, Abb. 11.14,No. 4I.10 From the old City LibraryCollection, now in the Stadtisches Museum fur Vor- und Friih-geschichte,Frankfurta.M., No. zu x 3535 a. u. b., diam. 9.8 cm, silvered bronze.1 Bronze Room III, Vatican Museum, No. I2283.2 Institute of Archaeology, University of Nijmegen, unnumbered, 1-76 by I-7 cm, probablysilvered bronze.

13 XXI.f/Xc.6, 2.2 by 3.8 cm, silvered bronze.14 A. Heron de Villefosse, 'Le Tr6sor de Boscoreale', Mon. Plot. 5 (I899), No. 21, 88-90, pl.

xIx, fig. 20, 47; No. 22, 90-92, pl. xx; No. 98, 128 ,fig. 45; A. Maiuri, La Casa del Menandro(Rome I932), No. I5, 15, 350, fig. I35-6, pl. XLVII-XLIII;No. I6, 353, pl. LXI;No. 4709, 452.

337


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338 G. LLOYD-MORGANvery few pieces outside the group under discussionhere.l5The greatest concentration of these mirrors,some 45 per cent of the total,have been found in the provinceof Lower Germany,with nearly 30 per cent ofthe total coming from Nijmegen alone. Several of these Nijmegen mirrorsarefirst-centuryin date,'6 though others may be later.l7 It is probable that theywere made in the Nijmegen area duringthis period and tradedinto neighbour-ing provincesincludingBritain. Although the Corbridgemirrorsmay not be asearlyas the firstcentury,a date within the second century,on analogywith theSt Albans and Chester pieces, would probablybe more reasonable.GrosvenorMuseum, Chester

For example, Musee Arch6ologique, Nimes, No. 908.51.6I.I and 2 unprovenanced; Museede la Civilisation gallo romaine, Lyons, No. L I37, from Vaison la Romaine.16 Rijksmuseum G.M. Kam No. B. E. II. 9 and I6, both formerly in the Municipal collection.The former comes from the Hunerberg, the latter from excavations behind the Catholic churchon Koolemans Beinenstraat, Nijmegen, 1905. Further evidence for a first-century origin for thegroup is given by the recent discovery of another mirror in Grave 390 at Cambodunum/Kemp-ten. It has been described as Vespasianic in date. I am most grateful to Mr Michael Mackensen,Munich, for this information (Jan. I976).

17For example, H. Brunsting, 'Het Grafveld onder Hees bij Nijmegen', Allard PiersonStichting Archaeologische-Historische Bijdragen 4 (I937), 28, I9I, Grave 42 No. 4, pl. I2, inv.no. B. E. II. 29; Rijksmuseum van Oudheden te Leiden No. e I906/5.I88 also from Hees,Nijmegen.


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PLATE XVIII

(Photo: G. Lloyd-Morgan)A. Bronze mirror from Corbridge, Northumberland (p. 335).Scale I: .

(Photo: G. Lloyd-Morgan)B. Bronze mirror from Corbridge (p. 335). Scale I:I.

dos espejos romanos

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