The Calne Fates

A Romano-British relief sculpture found during building work at St Mary's School, Calne, around 1990; the block had been used in the foundations of a summerhouse next to St. Prisca's Schoolhouse, but its significance was not realised until much later. Although resembling the three Matres (mothers), which are commonly depicted in Romano-British sculpture, these figures have been identified by the Rev. Professor Martin Henig as the three Fates, based on their attributes. The figure on the left is Klotho, who holds her distaff from which she spins her thread, in the centre is Atropos holding her scales, and Lachesis reads from a scroll on the right. The fates measure, weigh and judge a human life respectively, and Henig suggests that the frieze was probably originally part of a funerary monument of the latter second century.

The stone has been examined macroscopically and sampled for thin-section analysis by Dr Kevin Hayward FSA, who identifies the source of the stone as being the Middle Jurassic (Bathonian) Limestone scarp centred on Box, 10-12km west of the find spot. Whilst local sources of similar stone were available, the outcrop at Box is of a higher quality and is better suited to more intricate carvings.

DZSWS:2017.4

Calne fates sculpture. Image copyright Tony Hack

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Map

Field Collection

Date: 1990

Method: Chance Find

Parish: Calne

County: Wiltshire

Site name: St. Mary's School

Context: -

Grid reference: SU000710

Description

Material: Stone

 

Details

DZSWS:2017.4

Simple Name: Sculpture

Other name: frieze

Full name: relief

Classification: Archaeology, Roman

References

Henig, M.
2018
A newly-discovered relief depicting the three Fates, from Calne, Wiltshire
Association of Roman Archaeology News
39
41–2

Related Objects:

Copyright: Wiltshire Archaeological and Natural History Society