Colchester Archaeological Report 2: The Roman small finds

Fig 64 Toilet spoons (1:1)
60
1898 Fig 64 SF LWC 681, B269 F95. Pit. Period 5. The top of the
shaft is missing. Length 30.0 mm. Made by rolling up a strip
of sheet copper alloy and folding and trimming one end into a
flat scoop. Diameter of scoop 4.0mm.
1899 Fig 64 SF LWC 872(C), C159 F92. Robber trench. Medieval.
The top of the shaft is missing. Length 40.0mm. Flat scoop,
diameter 6.0mm.
1900 Fig 64 SF LWC 2088(C), K28. Uncertain. ?Post-Roman.
Spoon from a toilet set, with a suspension loop. The tip of the
scoop is damaged. Length 41.5 mm. Cupped scoop, diameter
3.5 mm. Similar to one from a set from Gadebridge,
Hertfordshire (Neal and Butcher 1974, fig 62, 184).
1901 Fig 64 SF LWC 2889(C), K209. Garden topsoil. Period 4b.
Bent. Length 113.5 mm. Flat scoop, diameter 5.0mm.
1907 Fig 64 SF BKC 3429(C), J234. Machine clearance. Modern.
The top of the shaft is missing. Length 65.0mm. The scoop
has a convex underside and flat top, diameter 4.5 mm.
With long cupped scoop (Fig 64; 1917-1925)
1917 Fig 64 SF LWC 1148(C), B609 F70. Cellar. Period 5. In two
fragments. The top of the shaft and most of the scoop are
missing. Length (incomplete) 72.0mm. The junction of
scoop and shaft is marked with a zoomorphic moulding. The
shaft is cast in a barley-sugar twist.
1921 Fig 64 SF BKC 4053(C), N20. Period 6. The tip of the scoop is
damaged. Length (incomplete) 96.5mm. The junction of
scoop and shaft has bead-and-reel moulding. The shallow
V-section scoop is 7.0mm wide.
1924 Fig 64 SF BKC 5171(C), V270 L27. Make-up. Period 5. A
small spoon from a toilet set with a suspension loop but no
shaft. Length 35.5 mm. Maximum width of scoop 7.0mm.
SPOON-PROBES (Fig 65; 1926-1932)
These double-ended instruments (cyathiscomeles),
though not as common as site finds as single-ended
spoons, were almost certainly employed not only as
surgeon's curettes or sounds but also for minor
pharmaceutical or toilet purposes (Milne 1970, 62).
The spoon end would have been used, as toilet
spoons in general, to extract cosmetics from
containers, the probe end to apply these cosmetics to
the face. Alternative uses of the probe (where
necessary wrapped in material, probably wool) could
include the removal of cosmetics from the face,
particularly round the eyes, and the application of
medicaments to eye and ear (ibid, 54-8). Spoonprobes
were all cast. The white-metal wire inlay of
1927 would have been added cold. All the catalogued
examples are of copper alloy.
1926 Fig 65 SF LWC 2030(C), J103. Topsoil with gravel. Late
Roman or later. Part of the spoon has decayed and the end of
the scoop has broken off. Length 155.5 mm, length of spoon
30.0mm, length of probe 17.0mm. The centre of the shaft
has a length of barley-sugar twisting (cf Neal and Butcher
1974, fig 63, 199).
1927 Fig 65 SF LWC 3417(C), J1179. Make-up. Period 3. Bent.
One end of the instrument is missing. The shape of the
section of the shaft at that end indicates that it would have
developed into a long spoon. Length (incomplete) 115.0mm,
length of probe 18.0mm. Most of the length of the shaft has
two spiralling grooves of different depths. The shallower
groove in some places contains white-metal wire. The
deeper groove is empty. It possibly contained niello. At the
spoon end of the shaft there is a short length of spool-andreel
moulding.
1929 Fig 65 SF BKC 2602(C), H54 F23. Pit. Post-Roman. Bent.
Length 142.0 mm, length of spoon 33.5 mm, length of probe
22.0mm. Immediately above the spoon the heptagonalsection
shaft has a short length of decorative moulding.
1931 Fig 65 SF MRC 74(C), 109 F52. Pit. Approximately early 2nd
century. Slightly bent. In two fragments. The spoon bowl is