Craftsmen\'s Marks

[AuxArcher]

Salve, all.

I did do a search here on the site, but didn't seem to come up with anything. Your pardon if what I am looking for does exist on RAT.

Is there any information and visuals of Roman-era craftsmen's marks, such as armorer marks? I am thinking of designing such a mark for my own work (various kinds, including bows and various wooden objects), but don't wish for some cartoon or farb ideas to creep into this.

Thanks so much,
Dane Donato

[Robbie Phillips]

Makes me think of the "British Broad Arrow" mark

[M. Demetrius]

Well, pottery was often marked with the place that it was made. And bricks and tiles made by Legions bore a mark of the legion.

Not quite what you're asking for, I guess. What about just your initials, in an inconspicuous place on the item?

[Martin Moser]

Look at medical instruments, there are a few that bear a manufacturer's mark, the same is true for at least one pugio, where the inlay on the back side of the hilt says: (some name) fecit. Leather was also stamped (soles e.g.), but it is not quite clear what their significance was - maker, customs, tanner ... ? If any of those are interesting for you, I can look up the sources or maybe provide some pictures.

[Nemonius Agricola]

Do you have any pictures of marks on soles of shoes. I was reading some where that some marks were wheels,urns and rosettes.

[AuxArcher]

Right, like the broad arrow mark, or a smith's mark of two hammers with initials between the heads. Did the Romans practice this sort of maker's marks? In medieval times, some cities had their own marks as well. Guilds had them also. Or maybe just the initials of the maker or shop owner?

Dane

[PhilusEstilius]

It's a bit like David says potters had stamp marks and I have one myself, infact I use it as my Email address and have had it for years now. It comes from the base of a piece of Samianware that I found many years ago, so I resurrected the mans name and have used it for a long time now.

I now and then sign bits that I create with it and it's a name which is abbreviated and punctuated, for the Romans where very much into this kind of thing. It reads SEXTI-MA and it's the name of a Samian potter who lived at Lezoux in Gaul around AD 150, the full meaning is SEXTILIVS-MANVS or by the hand of Sextilivs.

There is also a more interesting aspect to it for on the edge of the base there is a finger print which I like to think is maybe that of Sextilivs himself. This is where I'd suggest you choose a good name maybe abbreviate it a bit and use that.

[richsc]

Bakers also had a stamp which marked their loaves. I believe some of these were found in Pompeii/Herculaneum, and possibly other contexts.

[AuxArcher]

Brian, great info.

Everyone else, thanks. And Martin, if it is not too much trouble, any images or sources would be greatly appreciated.

Dane

[Marcus Mummius]

I think the '...'(abbreviated name) followed by 'fecit' or 'fec'. is the best known method.

Last week I saw several Roman knives that had makers marks punched into the blade (I think it where three elongated dots forming a circle), in the 'Museum of London'. I don't know if I have pictures as I did not have a lot of time, but you could try contacting the museum and asking about it? You might get a picture.

I looked into their Roman pictures on their website: http://www.museumoflondonprints.com/cat ... perpage=12

but the knives are not there...

Vale,

[M. Demetrius]

Here's a potter's mark from the Museum of London.
http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd29 ... tarium.jpg

[Martin Moser]

And Martin, if it is not too much trouble, any images or sources would be greatly appreciated.

Here you are - examples from Vindolanda (from Driel-Murray, C. van, John Peter Wild et al.: Vindolanda. Research Reports, New Series. Vol. III The Early Wooden Forts. 1993):

[Robert]

I would be very interested in marks on knives and the like. There are some marks on swords in Miks, but Celtic knives have some really great craftsmen's marks struck into the large knives. On Roman knives, I have found very little info

[Matt Lukes]

The main ones I've seen on metal objects are relief names and abbreviations- a rectangle or similar shape punch with the letters engraved in reverse such that the stamped object would have a sunken version of the shape with the letters left raised. In one case, a sword, it's the classic Tabula ansata, with 'IMP' inside- which is what I chose for my own maker mark, with MLVF for MATT LVKES FECIT. Another couple of examples are from knives, one, a rectangle, reads "OLONDVSF" and another also rectangular with a widening at the centre for a little stick man, reading "P.BAS" and "ILIF" each, presumably, like mine, an abbreviation of the maker's name and the 'F' for Fecit (made). There's also a nice patera mark of a curved rectangle reading what looks like "TALIOF".

[AuxArcher]

Thank you Martin, David, Matt, and anyone I haven't mentioned. Those geometric symbols are very nice, but I think my name abbreviated is the best way to proceed. The border on that pottery stamp is quite handsome.

Dane