#FindsFriday Lion spout

Happy New Year everyone, and Happy #FindsFriday

This week we have this lovely lion head spout found on a mortarium at the Mercury Theatre in Colchester. These are not uncommon, being found on pottery such as mortaria and samian ware, and would have been imported to England. This specific example comes all the way from eastern Gaul!🌍

A mortarium would be used – much like our modern pestle and mortar – to grind up herbs and spices in the kitchen, to produce delicious purees and sauces. The spout would offer a pouring point, and a very decorative one in this case!👀

We have recently published a report on the archaeological works we completed at the Mercury Theatre. If you want to have a read, please check out CAT Report 1775 on our reports website: cat.essex.ac.uk