ITEM: Bread stamp with inscription 'L QVAL... / THEOMEDO... '
MATERIAL: Bronze
CULTURE: Roman
PERIOD: 2nd - 3rd Century A.D
DIMENSIONS: 30 mm x 52 mm x 26 mm
CONDITION: Good condition
PROVENANCE: Ex English private collection, acquired between 1990 - 2000

Comes with Certificate of Authenticity and Export Licence. If you are from outside the European Union, we will have to apply for the export licence again for your country, this takes 3 to 5 weeks and has a cost of 5% of the hammer price, this amount will be added to the final invoice.

Roman bread stamps in bronze are fascinating artifacts that shed light on the intricacies of daily life in ancient Rome, particularly in the context of bread production and commerce. These stamps were used to imprint distinctive marks or logos onto loaves of bread, which served multiple purposes. Primarily, they helped identify the bakery that produced the bread, ensuring quality and authenticity. Such stamps often featured symbols, names, or even intricate designs that could indicate the baker’s identity, the type of bread, or specific characteristics of the bakery, providing both a practical and branding function.

The use of bronze for these stamps reflects the material's durability and the value placed on precision in bread-making. Roman bakers would press these stamps into the dough before baking, leaving a permanent imprint that survived the baking process. This not only helped in differentiating between various types of bread but also acted as a form of quality control. The presence of these stamps on bread loaves was particularly important in bustling urban centers like Rome, where standardization and traceability were crucial due to the high volume of production and consumption.

Archaeological finds of Roman bread stamps reveal a great deal about the economic and social aspects of Roman life. These stamps have been discovered in various regions of the empire, indicating a widespread and standardized practice. They provide insights into the organization of Roman bakeries and the role of bread in daily sustenance, as well as the administrative and regulatory aspects of Roman commerce. Additionally, the decorative and inscriptive elements on these stamps offer valuable information about Roman art, typography, and the symbolic meanings associated with different designs. Through these artifacts, we gain a deeper understanding of how the Romans managed food production and the significance of bread in their society.