figure
- Museum number
- 1879,0710.1
- Description
-
Copper alloy figure of a ploughman wearing a hooded cloak with a plough drawn by a bull and cow.
- Production date
- 1stC-3rdC
- Dimensions
-
Height: 45 millimetres
-
Length: 71 millimetres
- Curator's comments
- Bronze statuette of a ploughman with a team of oxen
Roman Britain
Found at Piercebridge, County Durham
Despite appearances, this statuette is probably not intended to be a simple representation of everyday life. The team yoked to the plough consists of a bull and a cow, a pairing that is impractical for various reasons: the difference of size and strength could make it difficult to keep the furrow straight, and the male could be difficult to manage in such close proximity to the female. The pairing of the bull and cow here may refer to the setting out of the boundaries of a new city. On these occasions a furrow was ploughed specifically by such a team because of the good luck associated with the fertility that the male/female pairing suggests.
The ploughman wears a hooded cloak, a rainproof woollen garment typical of Britain and Gaul.
- Location
- On display (G49/dc15)
- Exhibition history
-
Exhibited:
2011-2012 11 Aug-April, BM, Cost of Living
2002-2003, 19 Mar-7 Jun, Athens, Benaki Museum, Bulls: Image and Cult in the Ancient Mediterranean
2002-2003 15 Nov-1 Feb, Barcelona, Salo del Tinell, Bulls: Image and Cult in the Ancient Mediterranean
1992 5 May-1 Nov, Munich, Straubing Castle, Bauern in Bayern
1975 18 Sep-31 Oct, Lancaster, Scott Gallery, Pendle College, Romans in the North
1975 8 July - 14 Sep, Castle Barnard, Bowes Museum, Romans in the North
1975 17 May - 29 June, Kendal, Abbott Hall Museum and Art Gallery, Romans in the North
1975 12 Apr - 11 May, Durham Light Infantry Museum, Romans in the North
- Acquisition date
- 1879
- Department
- Britain, Europe and Prehistory
- Registration number
- 1879,0710.1
