Journal of the British Archaeological Association

I at once communicated with the Society of Antiquaries, and, through Mr. Blair, of South Shields, with Dr. Hübner of Berlin. The Antiquaries wished to see the relic, and Mr. Hurd was quite ready to facilitate this arrangement. In the meantime, Dr. Hübner replied as follows to Mr. Blair:

"The new pig from Matlock you send me a note about in the newspaper and your card to-day, contains clearly the inscription (in beautiful letters of the first century, I think), P(ubli) Rubri Abascanti. Metalli Lutudares(is). We know the Metallum Lutud., or Lut., from various British pigs of lead; now for the first time the name appears nearly in full as I guess, Metallum Lutudarese (or Lutudarense). Lutudaron (the Greek form for Latin Lutudarum) appears only in the Geographus Ravennas (6th century) as a place somewhere between Deva (Chester) and Derventio (Derwent); this is evidently the place where the Roman lead mines were. It is a curious monument."

The pig of lead was sent to London, and exhibited at the meeting of the Society of Antiquaries on May 10th, 1894. At that meeting, Mr. Haverfield, of Oxford, read some brief remarks on the inscription, and said :—

"The inscription consists of 1-in. letters, and is perfect and legible. Resolving the ligatures we have:

"P. RVBRI. ABASCANTI. METALLI. LVTVDARES.

"The formula, as is usual on these pigs, is slightly abbreviated. We may complete it by understanding plumbum, and render (plumbum) P. Rubri Abascanti. Metalli Lutudare(n)s(is). The lead of P. Rubrius Abascantus of the mine of Lutudarum.' Lutudares I take to be, then, short for Lutudarensis, the n being omitted in common fashion, and the last syllable dropped with usual Roman arbitrariness in abbreviation."

The great interest of this inscription lies in its last word, Lutudares. Hitherto, the form has appeared as Lut and Lutud, now as Lutudares; and Mr. Haverfield, our greatest authority, expands this still further to Lutudarensis. At one time it was generally accepted that Chesterfield represented "Lutudo"; but the fact of this pig, as well as that preserved by Mr. Wolley, being found on the site where they were cast, and that site being in the district of Wirksworth, the conclusion seems justified that Lutudarum is represented by the modern.

Wirksworth, still a sort of centre of mining authority. It is further worthy of note that these Derbyshire mines seem to have been worked by Greek freedmen, probably as lessees from the crown.

The pig has passed from Mr. Hurd to the British Museum, where it may be compared with the others in that fine collection.

A faithful representation of it is given in the illustration below, which is reproduced from a block kindly lent by the Society of Antiquaries.

PRVBRIABASGIMEALHVIVDARES

Roman Pig of Lead found near Matlock, 1894.

ON ROMAN INSCRIBED PIGS OF LEAD

FOUND IN BRITAIN.

BY W. DE GRAY BIRCH, F.S.A., LL.D.

(Read April 18th, 1894).

IGS of lead bearing imperial and other inscriptions are among the most interesting of extant Roman remains. They introduce to our consideration many speculations upon the trade, commerce, mining and metallurgy of the people who manufactured and dealt in lead. The

examples which had been found in Britain at various times were tabulated by the late Mr. Albert Way, in an erudite paper published in the Archæological Journal, vol. xvi, 1859. The forty years which have elapsed have added a few more to the number, and for convenience of students I have tabulated the inscriptions, weights, sizes, and other points of detail, in the accompanying list. Mr. Way's paper so fully described them that it is not necessary for me to go over his ground again. But the explanation of some of the words of the legends is unsatisfactory, and I have occasionally suggested other readings. The Emperor's name 1S usually in the genitive case (see Nos. 8, 10, 36, 37, 38, 39, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45), rarely in the ablative (Nos. 34, 35). Hence we should be justified in restoring defective and extending abbreviated names and titles in the genitive, not in the nominative, as Way. The formulæ embrace the names and titles only (Nos. 1, 9, 10, 11, 14-33, 37-39); the date of the consulship (Nos. 8, 34, 35), or of the tribunitial and imperial (No. 2), or of the tribunitial and consular offices (Nos. 11, 12, 13-33). The term LVT. been read (in 3-7, 37, 45), and LVTVD. (44), as Lutudarense or of Lutudurum, a Roman station according to the

has

Ravennas (=Chesterfield), as Ellis and Way surmise, or lutum, "washed ", according to T. Wright. The newly-found pig throws special light on this name, and is conclusively dealt with by Mr. Leader. I believe that LVT is LVTVM = hlud, or some word like it in Welsh (Anct. Brit.) for lead, and really the derivation of our English word: lead; but this is only an opinion. Lutudarum would then be "The town where the lead-mines are situated". The places or tribes mentioned are:

DE. BRITAN. (2); BR. (3-7); BRIT. (8, 9); BRIG. (35); VADON (36); EX. KIAN (8); DE CEANGI (11, 12); DE CEANG (13-33). No. 12 appears to me to read DE CEANGL. These last may possibly mean Congleton in Cheshire (?).

MET (Metallum) occurs on No. 37. METAL on 44, in the respective phrases MET. LVT and METAL. LVTVD.

The full word METALLI occurs on the newly-found pig. Metallus is used for Metallum by Voss, according to Ainsworth's Dictionary.

The following phrases I read ex argento vivo, "obtained by the quicksilver process", or ex argento, "having had the silver extracted from it."

EX ARG (3-7, 45)

EX ARGENT (8)
EX ARG. VI (9)

The unexplained phrases are:

V. EIP. C.

V. ETP. C.

V FTP. C.

(No. 1) for . . . . Tribunitia potestatis Consul

HVLPMCOS (No. 8) for . . . . Pontifex Maximus Consul
CAPASCAS . XXX (No. 8), very obscure.

VV. I. N. P. (39) Quinquevirorum jussu notatum plumbum is very doubtful, but I would not altogether reject it.

The imperial names are Britannicus, Tiberius, Nero, Vespasian, Domitian, Hadrian, Antoninus, and Verus. The Legio xx. also occurs (No. 40).

The dates range from A.D. 44-169.

The weight ranges about 150 lb. to 220 lb., the size about 2 ft. long and 6 in. wide. Some are in laminations or layers, showing the method of formation, and perhaps also of use. Each layer is thus capable of being stripped off as required. No broken pieces or imperfect pigs have

been found.

TABLE

Of all the Roman Inscribed Pigs of Lead found in Britain to date.