Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jun 1, 2026

Cignus

Cignus is a name used by archaeologists for a type of large Roman metal spoon with a short, curved, handle often formed as the neck and head of a swan. Cigni have been found in a number of Roman sites from the 4th and 5th centuries CE, including the Thetford and Hoxne Hoards in England. It is not known for certain what the Romans called these utensils, but there are references to cigni in Roman sources in appropriate contexts.

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a short-handled spoon with fine detail marked in the bowl of the spoon of a cat-headed fish-tailed creature surrounded by fleur de lys
Silver-gilt cignus spoon with a bird-headed handle and bowl decorated with a mythical marine creature. 4th century CE from the Hoxne Hoard source ↗

Cignus (Latin: cygnus, meaning 'swan'; pl. cigni) is a name used by archaeologists for a type of large Roman metal spoon1 with a short, curved, handle often formed as the neck and head of a swan. Cigni have been found in a number of Roman sites from the 4th and 5th centuries CE, including the Thetford and Hoxne Hoards in England.2 It is not known for certain what the Romans called these utensils, but there are references to cigni in Roman sources in appropriate contexts.

See also

See also

References

References

  1. Swift, Ellen (January 2014). "Design, function and use-wear in spoons: reconstructing everyday Roman social practice". Journal of Roman Archaeology. 27: 203–237. doi:10.1017/S1047759414001214. ISSN 1047-7594.
  2. British Museum retrieved 27 June 2010 (dead link 16 November 2022)
Further reading

Further reading

  • Johns, Catherine (2010), The Hoxne Late Roman Treasure: Gold Jewellery and Silver Plate, British Museum Press, ISBN 978-0-7141-1817-8., pp. 98–106
  • Harald Mielsch, 'Miszellen zur spätantiken Toreutik', in Archäologisches Anzeiger 1992, pp. 111–152.