Cignus

Silver-gilt cignus spoon with a bird-headed handle and bowl decorated with a mythical marine creature. 4th century CE from the Hoxne Hoard

Cignus (Latin : cygnus, meaning "swan"; plural: cigni) is a name used by archaeologists for a type of large Roman metal spoon ^[1] 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.^{[ citation needed ]}

See also

• Cochlearium
• Silver spoon

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

• 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.