Replica of the Rudge Cup
Roman Britain, 2nd century AD
Rudge Coppice, Wiltshire
A souvenir of Hadrian's Wall
This is an electrotype copy of a small bronze bowl found in 1725
in a well on the site of a Roman villa. The bowl was probably made
as a souvenir. It shows a schematized drawing of Hadrian's Wall
originally picked out in coloured enamels.
The Wall, built by Emperor Hadrian (reigned AD 117-138), was a
continuous defensive barrier that guarded the north-western
frontier of the province from barbarian invaders. It extended from
coast to coast, running for 118 kilometres (73 miles) from
Segedunum (Wallsend) on the River Tyne in the east, to Bowness on
the Solway Firth in the west.
Above the drawing are the names of five forts at the western end
of the Wall: MAIS (Bowness-on-Solway), ABALLAVA (Burgh-by-Sands),
VXELODUM (Stanwix), CAMBOGLANS (Castlesteads), BANNA
(Birdoswald).