Reverse
Height: 14.500 cm
Gift of T. Rook
P&EE 1981 11-2 1
Room 49: Roman Britain
Statuette of a mother-goddess
Roman Britain, 2nd century AD
from a Roman cemetery at Welwyn Grange, Hertfordshire
This statuette was made in a mould from a fine white clay called pipeclay. It shows a mother-goddess sitting in a basketwork chair suckling a baby.
In an age without sterile conditions, any substitute for mother's milk, other than that of a wet-nurse, was potentially harmful, if not lethal. Nursing was critical, and Roman medical authors recommended that the child should not be weaned before the age of eighteen months to two years.
Shop Online
Discover the history of Ancient Rome, £7.99