Spouted Pitcher, 300-600 (silver)

SILVER DINING SERVICES A large quantity of tableware survives from the Roman Empire, including these pieces from Antioch and the Eastern Mediterranean. Most of the recovered groups of silver seem to have been hoards concealed during times of trouble. A complete table service, called a ministerium in Latin and a synthesis in Greek, consisted of silver for eating and drinking: trays, platters, plates, dishes and spoons, pepper dispensers, goblets, pitchers, ladles, and bowls. As the god of wine, Dionysos was frequently depicted on drinking and eating vessels.