Two Silver Table-Spoons from Egypt: 6th to 7th centuries AD
These two table-spoons from an original set of six, were found at Touna-el-Gebel in Upper Egypt. The pear-shaped bowls are attached to straight tapering handles with baluster finials. They bear Greek inscriptions with the monograms of the owners Romanos and Hiparchos, as well as the words ZOE ("life") and ME PERIERGOS ("do not be curious").
Sets of spoons in precious metals were treasured family possessions in Roman Imperial times in all three countries. After the end of the Empire in the west (when wealthy Romanised families in Britain buried their silverware to keep it safe), such luxurious possessions continued to be made and used in the eastern Mediterranean, and indeed were re-imported to the west in the post-Roman period. Two spoons of just this form were found in the rich 7th-century royal ship-burial at Sutton Hoo, Suffolk, England.
