Brickstamp, Rome Alison E. Cooley AEC/ASHL AN1872.1509.xml Oxford Ashmolean Museum AN1872.1509 AshLI 206 Coll. Ref: 25 Roman catalogue: 389

A circular, orbicular stamp (0.102), slightly damaged, with a large orbiculus (0.04) extending into the central section of the stamp. Brick: 0.174+ 0.162+ 0.026

There are three lines of letters around the edge of the stamp, running in concentric circles. The lettering on the outer line is damaged, with only the tops of letters remaining of DIS. The brick bears a museum label ‘no.26’ (in error; the correct label ‘no.25’ is on the rear of the brick). There is a triangular interpunct in line 1. The letters AE in VALERIAE are ligatured.

 0.012 (line 1); 0.009-0.01 (lines 2-3). Rome AD c.123 (for similar stamped bricks bearing a consular date of AD 123, see AN1872.1490). 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
ex praedis Plotinaes Augustae ex officina Valeriae Nicenis opus doliare

Brick-product from the production unit of Valeria Nice from the estate of Plotina Augusta.

During the second century AD, the clay districts in the Tiber Valley increasingly became the property of members of the imperial family, among whom was Plotina Augusta, at this time widow of the emperor Trajan. This stamp identifies Valeria Nice as production overseer (officinator) working on the imperially-owned estate. This is unlikely to mean that she actually participated in the manufacturing process, but indicates that she was its financial sponsor, as a contractor holding a lease for the business (Weaver 1998: p.246). Compare AN1872.1490 for a similar stamp, and AN1872.1510 for another brickstamp of Plotina.

Ashmolean Museum Department of Antiquities MS. Accession Register 1872.1509 (25); CIL XV.1 no.694, 10 (from an impression sent by Waldstein) (Dressel 1891).

Online: EDCS-33000320 [accessed 01/04/15]

Weaver P. 1998 Imperial slaves and freedmen in the brick industry Zeitschrift für Papyrologie und Epigraphik 122 238-46