Pottery panpipes, Shakenoak Villa, Wilcote, Oxfordshire Alison E. Cooley AEC/ASHL AN2005.34.xml 159219 Oxford Ashmolean Museum AN2005.34 AshLI 423

A set of pottery panpipes made out of red-brown baked clay. There are note holes across the top surface of the pipes, extending through the pottery body, each one reaching to a different depth (105mm, 102mm, 97mm, 86mm, 84mm, 71mm, 67mm: Brodribb, Hands, Walker 1973: p.45 Fig. 23), and an additional sounding hole at the bottom of the pipes.

Along the bottom edge are the lightly incised letters SATAVACVS (the first letter is damaged), then further letters BELLICIA extending onto the curved edge at the side (the final A lacking a cross-bar).

0.123 0.092+ 0.009

 Letters: 0.006. Shakenoak Villa, Wilcote, Oxfordshire AD c.200 (from archaeological context - Brodribb, Hands, Walker 1973: p.44) The panpipes were found in 1971 during excavation of Shakenoak Roman villa, in the debris of Building C (Brodribb, Hands, Walker 1973: p.44). They were presented to the Ashmolean by A.R. Hands. The panpipes are currently on display in the Rome Gallery. Photograph. Photograph. Photograph. Photograph. Photograph.
SATAVACVS
BELLICIA

SATAVACVS â•‘BELLICIA

SATAVACVS (Wright, Hassall, Tomlin 1975: p.294; RIB II.8.2505.4) CATAVACVS (Brodribb, Hands, Walker 1973; RIB II.4.2457.1) BELLICIA (RIB II.4.2457.1; EDCS)

Originally, the pipes would have produced at least six notes, but have become damaged. Even so, it is possible to play the notes on a chromatic scale of Bb, B, C, C# (compare the excavation report, which suggested the notes Bb 102mm, C 97mm, flat C# 86mm, C# 84mm). It is unexpected to find that the notes sound upon a scale that is recognisably modern in structure (see Brodribb, Hands, Walker 1973: p.46 for comparisons with other known panpipes). The names incised upon the instrument are both Celtic in origin (RIB II.4.2457.1 comm.), and may identify successive owners of the pipes, or perhaps two joint owners (male and female). The online database Celtic Personal Names of Roman Britain supports the readings SATAVCVS and BELLICIA.

Sound recordings have been made of Alison Cooley playing the pipes by permission of the Ashmolean Museum:

Two notes

Scale 1

Scale 2

Brodribb, Hands, Walker (1973) pp.44-46, with Fig. 23; Wright and Hassall (1973) p.332 no.30; RIB II.4.2457.1 (1992); Wright, Hassall, Tomlin (1975) p.294; RIB II.8.2505.4 (1995), corrigendum to RIB II 2457.1; Ashmolean Museum Department of Antiquities MS. Accession Register 2005.34; Brodribb, Hands, Walker (2005) pp.308-10 with Fig. IV.23

Online: EDCS-49600451 [accessed 13/09/16] Ashmolean, British Archaeological and Antiquarian Objects Online [accession no.2005.34] http://www.ashmolean.org/ash/objects/ [accessed 13/09/16]

Russell P. Mullen A. Celtic Personal Names of Roman Britain http://www.asnc.cam.ac.uk/personalnames/ Brodribb A.C.C. Hands A.R. Walker D.R. 1973 Excavations at Shakenoak vol.4: Site C Privately printed Hands A.R. 1974 A pottery syrinx from Shakenoak Farm, The Galpin Society Journal 27 132-35 Wright R.P. Hassall M.W.C. 1973 Roman Britain in 1972. II. Inscriptions JRS 324-37 Wright R.P. Hassall M.W.C. 1975 Roman Britain in 1974. II. Inscriptions JRS 284-94