The Calleva Stone
Roman, 2nd century
Part of an inscription naming Calleva
This is part of an inscription on Purbeck marble from a temple. On the next to last line the word CALLEVAE is inscribed. This means 'at Calleva' and gives us the name of the Roman town, now the village of Silchester in Hampshire. Calleva is also mentioned in Ptolomy's Geographia, a late second century list of places, the Antonine Itinerary, an early third century route list, and the Ravenna Cosmography, a seventh century list compiled from a much earlier road map.
It is one of three inscriptions found by the Society of Antiquaries in 1907 during the excavation of the temple in insula XXXV. These three dedications record gifts, probably statues to Victory, Mars and Pax at the temple, given by the guild of peregrini living at Calleva. This was an association of foreigners, meaning residents of the town who were not citizens and had no right to vote there. They were probably traders from elsewhere in the Roman empire.
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