Abstract
Roman-age pepper pots are among the rarer archaeological finds and, on occasion, have been tentatively identified as such. This paper presents a gilded bronze container found during excavations in Histria, on the western coast of the Black Sea. In our opinion, its physical characteristics (intentional perforation of its bottom, the presence of legs that allow for display on a table/support, and its particular, aquatic plant shape) strongly encourage its identification as a piperatorium. The container was subjected to physicochemical analyses, whose results are also presented here. Finally, we extended our perspective to the cultural aspects of the consumption of spices at the edges of the Roman Empire and their corresponding apparel, focusing on pepper as the most popular, accesible, but still luxurious spice available.
