Roman Wheel-Thrown Votive Uterus

Details
Votive offerings in the form of human body parts have been found in the thousands across the ancient world.  However wheel-thrown votives like these are much rarer due to the more time consuming making process. These ritual objects were left at healing sanctuaries and religious sites as offering to the gods. One presumption is that they were left in the hopes of conjuring divine intervention during instances of illness, injury and disease. It is also thought that they may have been left as thanks after the event to honour the gods whose intervention was gratefully received.   

The effectiveness of these offerings is unknown, but their popularity as a form of health care is undeniable. I prefer to rely on the hard-working folks of the NHS. 

Votive uteri such as this one are a reasonably common find and many of the examples, including one house in the British Museum, have a bead of clay applied to the inside wall of the uterus. This bead is sealed inside the votive when the back is attached, hiding it from view, and we make sure we include this small but symbolically important detail in each of our replicas.  

Some votives have even been found to hold two beads of clay. Please let us know if you have a specific number of beads that you would like added to represent you and your family. We would be happy to make one for you.  

Materials

Terracotta

Dimensions

Approx. 185 mm high, 80 mm depth

Production

This replica Roman pot has been hand-made in Northumberland by Potted History, based on an original artefact. It has been fired to a temperature of between 800 & 1000 Centigrade to emulate the same techniques the original potters would have employed nearly two thousand years ago. This process often results in variations of the surface colour and texture, as is common with the original Roman Pottery and giving each piece its unique character.

Postage
All items are sent using a second-class postal service. If you wish to have an item sent first class, please contact us for a quote. Many Thanks