tag
- Museum number
- 1975,0902.6
- Description
-
Copper alloy tag that was rivetted to the collar of an enslaved person. Inscribed with a demand to return to the slave master in his estate in Rome.
- Production date
- 4thC
- Dimensions
-
Diameter: 5.80 centimetres
- $Inscriptions
-
- Curator's comments
-
This tag was probably from a slave collar (Lefort 1875, 106). Such collars were often riveted and used on slaves considered a flight risk. This, and other know collars, date to the late imperial period (mainly 4th century AD). They became frequent following the emperor Constantine's law in AD 316 banning the cruel practice of tattooing or branding runaways' foreheads, a previous common punishment.
This has previously been considered a dog tag, although this is now considered highly unlikely as no such examples are known that were used for this purpose.
-
M. L. Lefort, 1875, Les Colliers et les Bulles des esclaves fugitifs aux derniers siècles de l’empire romain. Revue Archéologique 29: 102-109.
- Location
- On display (G69/dc7)
- Acquisition notes
- Previously unregistered.
- Department
- Greek and Roman
- Registration number
- 1975,0902.6
