Roman Severn Valley Flared Mug / Cup

Details

These rather lovely flare mugs are one of the characteristic forms of Severn Valley Ware, which was the site of a flourishing pottery industry from around the 2nd to 4th centuries AD. Roman-British potters produced these functional tankards, alongside storage and wide-mouthed jars, in the Severn valley, Shropshire. These practical items were then being distributed across western Britain and are likely to have been used by citizens and soldiers on a daily basis. 

Several kiln sites have been found extending through the Severn Valley to Wroxeter, all of them producing Severn Valley Wares. One can only imagine the bustle of industry and the smell of wood smoke that would have accompanied these significant production sites. 

  It is unclear why the rim of this particular design is so extreme in its flaring, but the large surface area would certainly allow your soup to cool quickly or for you to serve a dumpling stew in it. What is clear is that these utilitarian items would have been widely used during meal times by your average Roman citizen or soldier.

 Materials

Terracotta clay

Dimensions

Approx. 105 mm tall, 115 mm diameter at rim

Production

As with all my Museum Quality Replicas, we have made this pot, as the original would have been, entirely by hand from natural clay and using replicas of the types of tool that the ancient makers would have used. As each pot varies, you may not receive the same cup in the image, but you can be sure that your pot will be one of a kind due to the variations caused by the firing process. 

Health & Safety

This pot is a Museum Quality Replica made using the tools and techniques that ancient potters would have used during this era. As this is an unglazed pot with a porous surface, it will absorb some of the flavours during the cooking process or when used as food storage, which does add to the taste of future dishes. However, it does also mean that this pot does not meet modern Health and Safety standards, and therefore, we do not advise that you use it for cooking or storing foodstuffs. When ancient cooks used these pots, they relied on applying sufficient heat to the pot and contents to ensure that the heat killed all bacteria. Heating to over 70°C for at least 10 minutes would have killed most disease-causing bacteria, and temperatures of 100°C would do even more.  

Postage

All items are sent using a second class postal service; if you wish to have an item sent first class, please contact me for a quote. Many Thanks