# Colchester Vase

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{{Short description|Roman British vase}}
{{Infobox Artefact
| name            = Colchester Vase
| image           = File:Colchester vase.jpg
| created         = Romano-British, 175 AD
| discovered      = Colchester, Essex, England
| discovered_date = 1853
| place           = West Lodge Roman Cemetery
}}

The '''Colchester Vase''' is an ancient [Roman British](/source/Roman_Britain) vase made from local clay from [Colchester](/source/Colchester), [England](/source/England), dating to 175{{nbsp}}AD, depicting a [gladiator](/source/gladiator) battle between two individuals: Memnon and Valentinus, which are believed to be stage names.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news |last=Alberge |first=Dalya |date=2023-03-04 |title='Startling' new evidence reveals gladiators fought in Roman Britain |language=en-GB |work=The Observer |url=https://www.theguardian.com/science/2023/mar/04/evidence-reveals-gladiators-fought-in-roman-britain |access-date=2023-03-16 |issn=0029-7712}}</ref>

It was discovered in a Roman-era grave in 1853, which held the deceased's cremated remains.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Killgrove |first=Kristina |date=2023-03-09 |title=Gladiators fought in Roman Britain, action-packed cremation urn carvings reveal |url=https://www.livescience.com/gladiators-fought-in-roman-britain-action-packed-cremation-urn-carvings-reveal |access-date=2023-03-16 |website=livescience.com |language=en}}</ref>

It is currently held in the [Colchester Castle](/source/Colchester_Castle) Museum collection, and is renowned as one of the finest pieces of Roman-British pottery in existence.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2">{{Cite web |title=Colchester + Ipswich Museums - Colchester Vase |url=https://cim-web.adlibhosting.com/ais6/Details/collect/182096 |access-date=2023-03-16 |website=Colchester + Ipswich Museums}}</ref>

== Description ==
The vase is 17.5&nbsp;cm in diameter and 22.5&nbsp;cm high, weighs 1 kilogram and is made of coarse local clay.<ref name=":2" /> It is a variant of [Ancient Roman pottery](/source/Ancient_Roman_pottery), called black ware, which was used primarily for storage or cooking.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |title=Curle: Chapter 12, Unglazed Pottery, Glass Vessels of Bronze |url=http://www.curlesnewstead.org.uk/243.htm |access-date=2023-03-16 |website=www.curlesnewstead.org.uk}}</ref> The vase derives either from Durobrivian or Castor Ware.<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":3" /> It was discovered in 1853 in West Lodge Road by local antiquarian John Taylor, who donated it to the Colchester Castle Museum.<ref name=":2" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=MCC1360 - Roman cemetery, West Lodge, Colchester - Colchester Heritage Explorer |url=https://colchesterheritage.co.uk/monument/mcc1360 |access-date=2023-03-16 |website=colchesterheritage.co.uk}}</ref> The vase contained the cremated remains of a 40+ year old, non-local resident.<ref name=":2" />

Initially presumed to be an imported object, thanks to the sophistication of the figures on the vase, a 2023 analysis of the vase indicates a local origin. The vase demonstrates the extent of gladiatorial combat on the outskirts of the [Roman Empire](/source/Roman_Empire). The text on the vase was etched in while the clay was soft before the vase was baked in a kiln.<ref name=":4">{{Cite news |title=Vase is first evidence of a real gladiator fight in Roman Britain |language=en-US |newspaper=Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/03/07/roman-vase-gladiator-fight-uk/ |access-date=2023-03-16 |issn=0190-8286}}</ref>

Roman Colchester (Colonia Claudia Victricensis), or [Camulodunum](/source/Camulodunum), is famous as a center of pottery production during the 3rd century, with 40 documented kilns in the town.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Crummy |first=Philip |title=Excavations at Lion Walk, Balkerne Lane, and Middleborough, Colchester, Essex |date=1984 |publisher=Colchester Archaeological Trust |others=Howard Brooks |isbn=0-9503727-4-9 |location=Colchester, Essex |oclc=12511745}}</ref>

== Imagery ==
{{multiple image
 | direction = vertical
   | align = right
  | width     = 250
 | image_style = border:none;
 | image1    = The Colchester Vase, around 175 AD, Colchester Castle Museum, Camulodunum (Roman Colchester) (23175635162).jpg
   | alt1      = 
   | caption1  = The names of the four gladiators—Secundus against Marius, Memnon, and Valentinus—are inscribed around the top of the vase
   | image2    = The Colchester Vase, around 175 AD, Colchester Castle Museum, Camulodunum (Roman Colchester) (22656807893).jpg
   | alt2      = 
   | caption2  = The ''venator''
| image3    = The Colchester Vase, around 175 AD, Colchester Castle Museum, Camulodunum (Roman Colchester) (22915997279).jpg
   | alt3      = 
   | caption3  = The chase
   | footer    = 
   }}

Camulodunum was a major hub of Roman Britain, boasting public recreational structures including two Roman theatres in which the gladiator battle could have taken place.<ref name=":0" /> A similar jar, now housed in the [British Museum](/source/British_Museum), attests to such recreational activities in the city.<ref>{{Cite web |title=jar {{!}} British Museum |url=https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/H_1857-0806-1 |access-date=2023-03-16 |website=The British Museum |language=en}}</ref>

The jar is decorated with three different scenes, relating to the different recreational activities common at the time.<ref name=":2" /> The inscription on the vase reads:<blockquote>'Secundus (and) Mario'/'Memnon the secutor (victor) nine (times)'/'Valentinu(s) of the Thirtieth Legion'<ref name=":2" /></blockquote>The first scene depicts animal-animal fighting, with a dog chasing two deer and a hare.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":5">{{Cite web |last=School |first=Ipswich High |date=2017-10-11 |title=Classics - Rethinking the Colchester Vase |url=https://www.ipswichhighschool.co.uk/classics-rethinking-the-colchester-vase/ |access-date=2023-03-16 |website=Ipswich High School |language=en}}</ref>

The second scene depicts the [bestiarius](/source/bestiarius), the animal hunting spectacle, with [venators](/source/List_of_Roman_gladiator_types) named Secundus and Mario fighting a bear.<ref name=":2" /> Mario is a [dative](/source/Dative_case) of "Marius"; the location of the names do not specifically tag or identify the beast-fighting figures.<ref name=":5" />

The second scene depicts the gladiator battle of two men: Memnon, a [secutor](/source/secutor) and Valentinus, a [retiarius](/source/retiarius).<ref name=":1" /> The text identifies Valentinus as a member of the [Legio XXX Ulpia Victrix](/source/Legio_XXX_Ulpia_Victrix), though it is noted that the Legio XXX was not based in Britain, but rather in [Germania Inferior](/source/Germania_Inferior), in present-day [Xanten](/source/Xanten).<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":5" /><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Mrozewicz |first=Leszek |date=2016-12-15 |title=Pod skrzydłami legionu; rec. książki: Marcus Reuter, Legio XXX Ulpia victrix. Ihre Geschichte, ihre Soldaten, ihre Denkmaler |journal=Studia Europaea Gnesnensia |issue=14 |pages=265–269 |doi=10.14746/seg.2016.14.17 |issn=2082-5951|doi-access=free }}</ref> Memnon is labelled as the victor of the match, with "VIIII" indicating this is his ninth victory, with Valentinus depicted as raising his finger in defeat.<ref name=":1" /> Memnon, a reference to [the mythical Ethiopian king in the Trojan War](/source/Memnon), is believed to be a stage name for the winning fighter, and also extant evidence of [Roman residents of African descent](/source/Black_people_in_ancient_Roman_history) in the area.<ref name=":4" />

== References ==
{{Commons Category|Colchester Vase}}
{{reflist}}

Category:Gladiatorial combat
Category:Romano-British pottery
Category:Roman Colchester
Category:1853 archaeological discoveries

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Colchester Vase](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colchester_Vase) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colchester_Vase?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.