Tile with Nero stamp
From Silchester - Roman, AD 54 to 68
Ceramic tile stamped with the abbreviated name of Emperor Nero
This tile fragment bears a stamp with the abbreviated name and titles of the Emperor Nero (ruled AD 54-68). It was found in 1904 by the Society of Antiquaries archaeological excavations in a cesspit at the east end of the latrine of the public baths of the Roman town of Calleva, near Silchester, Hampshire. It was made in an imperial tilery located 3km south at Little London, near Pamber. No other site in Britain has produced tiles with this stamp. A dog's paw mark can be seen on the right side of the tile.
The presence of these stamped tiles at Silchester suggests there was official imperial support for the early development of the town. This could imply that in the mid 1st Century AD the Emperor was taking control of the town from the local 'client king' that controlled this part of southern Britain immediately after the Roman Conquest in 43AD.
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