Balance Weight

This stone weight would have been used on a balance scale to measure goods for trade. Its size means that it was probably used to measure small, high value materials such as spices or medicines.

It is of a type made in the eastern Mediterranean, possibly around Byzantium (later Constantinople; now Istanbul).

If only one object of a particular type is excavated at a site and is otherwise almost entirely found in a different part of the world, it normally means that the object has travelled as a personal possession. In this case, a travelling merchant from the eastern empire probably brought the weight to Richborough. It is likely to date from between AD 100 and AD 300.

Coin

Richborough is famous for its exceptionally large – 56,000 strong – collection of coins, many of which had travelled long distances to get there. There is at least one from the reign of every Roman emperor who ruled Britannia for a year or more.

Coins were an important symbol of imperial authority, and maintaining a standard quality was vital to a stable economy. To ensure this, coin production was officially controlled. Coins were made at designated mints, which each used slightly different symbols. This makes it possible to know exactly where they were made.

This example came from the Thessalonica mint in the Roman province of Macedonia (modern Greece).

Strap End

This strap end was made in the Roman province of Panonia (overlapping parts of modern Hungary and Austria among others) in the second half of the 4th century. We know that auxiliary soldiers from that part of the empire were stationed at Richborough in the 4th century, so the strap end was probably part of a soldier’s kit.

Some locally made strap ends in similar design have been found at Richborough. Perhaps Panonian soldiers asked local craftsmen to make replacements for them.

Glass Bowl Fragment

In the 1st century AD there was an explosion of creativity and experimentation by glass craftsmen. One result of this was a technique known as millefiori, in which small sections of glass of different colours were fused together to create bright, irregular patterns.

Although millefiori glass was made in Italy and is rarely found in Britain, fragments of at least six different coloured bowls made using this technique have been found at Richborough, which were all in one place. A high-ranking military figure probably brought them here.

In the early years of the empire almost all Roman glass was produced in Syria, with the rest made in Egypt. It was then exported as lumps of raw glass to craftsmen around the empire, who turned it into bowls, cups and bottles. The purity of materials available for glass production in the East meant that Roman glass was extremely high quality; as a result, it survives far better than glass made in western Europe in the medieval period.

Amphora

Unlike the other objects shown on this map, amphora travelled not because they were a personal possession or were for sale. They were simply containers – the packaging of the Roman world. The value for the trader lay in their contents.

There were, unsurprisingly, many fragments of amphora found at Richborough, but this is the most complete example. It dates from the 2nd or 3rd century AD, probably came from the province of Hispania (modern Spain), and would have contained wine.

Samian Bowl

Dark red, shiny Samian pottery was produced in Gaul (modern France) in the 1st and 2nd centuries AD. It was exported and traded in large quantities throughout the northern empire and Britain.

The glossy surface of Samian ware, and its often complex decoration, made it extremely desirable. The decorations are specific to the workshops that made them. As a result we know that this bowl came from southern Gaul, specifically the kilns at La Graufesenque, near Millau, which were famous for the vast quantities of Samian ware they produced.

Mica-dusted Beaker

Mica-dusted ceramics like this are coated with a fine dusting of rock crystals called mica, which makes them shine like metal. They were of high value and are rarely found in Britain. The fact that three complete examples have been found at Richborough shows the quality of goods passing through. This one dates from AD 50–75.

Mica-dusted ceramics seem to have been produced almost exclusively in Gallia Belgica, a Roman province that roughly equates to northern France and Belgium today. There is some evidence, however, that at least one potter using this technique may have been working to the north of Londonium (London).

Inscribed Brooch

This brooch dates from the second half of the 1st century AD. The rectangular panel is inscribed: SIA | MAS | EGOP | LUS.

When spaced out as normally written, that reads si amas ego plus, or ‘if you love me, I love you more’. This suggests that the brooch was a gift which had travelled to Richborough with a particular soldier.

We can’t be sure where the brooch came from. It was once thought to have come from Sicily, but recent research places it among a group of brooches with sentimental inscriptions from the provinces of Gallia Belgica and Germania – today, the area of northern France, Belgium and the Netherlands.

Jet Beads

Whitby, on the North Yorkshire coast, is still known for the high-quality jet found there, and was a major source of the gemstone for the Romans. Whitby jet was worked in Eboracum (York), and traded throughout the empire. So items that have been found at Richborough could either have been owned by someone who lived there, or have been intended for onward trade to the continent.

A dense, deep black material, jet can be easily cut and highly polished to make beautiful jewellery, and its perceived magical and healing properties were valued throughout the Roman Empire. Jet was particularly worn by women because it had associations with childbirth.

Armlet

Women in the later Roman Empire often wore multiple thin, decorated armlets around their wrists. Some patterns were common all over the empire, while others seem to have been made only in certain places, or even possibly by particular craftsmen.

Only 16 armlets with this design have been found anywhere across the Roman world. Of these, 11 are from Richborough, which suggests that this armlet was probably made here.