Cauldron

This bronze cauldron is one of two found in a large hoard of Roman and native metalwork buried at Blackburn Mill near Cockburnspath in Berwickshire. It was an expensive and prestigious item, presumably used in feasts given by an important leader.

The cauldron was made from a single piece of bronze. The handles (now missing) were originally attached with three rivets. The iron rim is also missing. The cauldron was much repaired and patched during its use; the base is almost entirely patches.

Feasting was one form of conspicuous consumption, designed to show off the power, wealth and status of the giver. Some cauldrons were also buried as gifts to the gods, probably symbolic of food and feasting.

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