This glass drinking bowl was excavated from a Roman site at Wint Hill in Somerset in 1956. It was probably made in Cologne in the mid-4th century AD.

The bowl is engraved on the outer surface, but was intended to be viewed from the inside, where a horseman and two hounds can be seen driving a hare into a net. Scenes like this were popular in the Rhineland and provide evidence of Roman life.

The edge of the bowl is inscribed in Latin and Greek with ‘VIVASCVMTVISPIE∑’. This combines two motos which together mean ‘Long life to you; drink, and good health’.

The bowl was purchased by the Ashmolean with the aid the the National Art Collections Fund.

• Discover more about the Roman collections at the Ashmolean
• Explore more artefacts from England in the British collections
• Find out more information about the Wint Bowl on the Main Ashmolean website