BRICKSTAMP, Rome Alison E. Cooley AEC/ASHL AN1872.1494.xml Oxford Ashmolean Museum AN1872.1494 AshLI 191 Coll. Ref: 10 Roman catalogue: 374

The right side of a rectangular brickstamp (0.035 0.074+), with hollowed letters inset into the brick’s surface (0.07+ 0.098+ 0.03-0.032).

The text includes a rectangular interpunct. Bloch (1947: pp.38-39) discusses the merits of Dressel’s reading of this stamp (cf. Vaglieri 1907: p.12).

 0.015 Rome AD 132 (consular date) The brick was found during the construction of Termini railway station in Rome, in the area of the Servian walls, within a building located in the exterior ditch, partly leaning up against the fortifications (Lanciani 1870: p.47 no.5: ‘un fabbricato costruito nell’area della fossa esteriore, ed in parte addossato all’aggere’). This brickstamp was part of a collection of brickstamps from Rome, Ostia, and Portus given to the Ashmolean by J.H. Parker, Keeper of Antiquities in the Ashmolean Museum (1870-84), after a visit to Rome in the winter months of 1871/2. It is currently in store. Photograph Photograph
Augurino Sergiano consulibus ex praediis Sabinae Augustae Salarese

In the consulship of Augurinus and Sergianus. From the estate of Sabina Augusta, Salarian product.

ET SERG COS [Dressel] EX PR A GA AVG SAL [Dressel]

The stamp can be dated by the consuls of AD 132. Bloch (1947: p.39) comments that this stamp with hollowed letters was used for bessales. How to restore the text of this brickstamp is debated: Vaglieri (1907) supported restoring it as above, whilst Bloch concluded that the reading GAB AVG should be preferred, indicating a Gabinius Augustalis. The issue is of some importance because evidence for the involvement of Hadrian’s wife Sabina in brick production is otherwise very scarce (Chausson and Buonopane 2010: p.102 although see Steinby 1974-75: pp.82, 85). This edition follows Vaglieri (1907: p.12) rather than Bloch on the grounds that the evidence for Gabinius is dated by the consul Servianus from AD 134 rather than the consul Sergianus of AD 132, whose name is clearly present on this stamp.

Ashmolean Museum Department of Antiquities MS. Accession Register 1872.1494 (10) CIL XV.1 no.510,2 (from an impression sent by Waldstein) (Dressel 1891); Vaglieri 1907: p.12

Online: EDCS-32803224 [accessed 11/09/14]

Bloch H. 1947 The Roman brick-stamps not published in Volume XV.1 of the Corpus Inscriptionum Latinarum Harvard Studies in Classical Philology 56/57 1-128 Chausson F. and Buonopane A. 2010 Una fonte della ricchezza delle Augustae – Le figlinae urbane Augustae. Machtbewusste Frauen am römischen Kaiserhof? Herrschaftsstrukturen und Herrschaftspraxis II A.Kolb Berlin Akademie Verlag 91-110 Lanciani R. 1870 Scavi di Roma e delle vicinanze Bullettino dell’Instituto di Corrispondenza Archeologica 41-55 Steinby M. 1974-75 La cronologia delle figlinae doliari urbane Bullettino della commissione archeologica comunale di Roma 84 25-132 Vaglieri D. 1907 II. Roma. Nuove scoperte nella città e nel suburbio Notizie degli scavi di antichità 4-17