Ralph Jackson Cosmetic Sets of Late Iron Age and Roman Britain, British Museum Research, Publication Number 181, London 2010,  224 p., 11 pl. (h-t & col), 25 fig.

     In the 1980s, Ralph Jackson identified an enigmatic small crescent-shaped copper-alloy ‘pendant’ or ‘amulet’ as part of a two-piece set comprising a grooved mortar and a solid rod-like curved pestle. In an article in Britannia (Jackson 1985), it was suggested that the sets were used for the preparation of small quantities of mineral-based powders, probably eye-shadow or other cosmetics, and the terms ‘cosmetic grinder’ and ‘cosmetic set’ were introduced. Ninety-nine individual components were identified.

   This publication engendered a huge upsurge in the number of finds reported, with hundreds of examples recognised in museum collections, from excavations and also from the activities of metal detectorists. By 2004 the number had increased to 625 known examples (excluding those recorded under the Portable Antiquities Scheme), but including the unrivalled collection of over 160 in the British Museum, and it was thought appropriate to reassess the provisional conclusions reached in 1985.

   The long-awaited new publication will be of great interest and value to everyone working in the field of Roman artefacts.The introduction, which covers the background to the research, is followed by a typological study. Cosmetic mortars fall into two basic types, endloop and central-loop, (see cover illustration), but these are divided into distinct sub-types based on several factors including the decoration which varies greatly. Succeeding chapters discuss their manufacture, function and scientific analysis, carried out for the composition of the mortars themselves and in search of residues, which remain elusive. It is clear that the choice of decorative motif had symbolic meaning, discussed in Chapter 5, and that many sets combined a practical function with an amuletic role, often with a connection to fertility. Bull heads frequently appear on mortars and water-birds are seen on both mortars and pestles but the wide diversity of form and decoration might be accounted for by the essentially personal nature of the sets. Examination of their contexts, dating and distribution show that they are an entirely British phenomenon, with only five examples recorded outside Britain, the first from Thérouanne, Pas-de-Calais (Jackson,Thuillier 1999).Within Britain, distribution maps shows a general bias towards the eastern counties but with some distinctive groupings of sub-types which might suggest regional preferences and that they were, perhaps used by certain groups to express a specific (British) identity.

  The book is clearly set out and copiously illustrated, with excellent photographs of the more important fragments, detailed line drawings within the text and a fully-illustrated catalogue, arranged alphabetically by location.The number of excavated fragments continues to rise (six more components from London in recent weeks), and Ralph Jackson’s work, an exemplary study of a specific type of artefact, raises exciting possibilities for further research.  

R. Jackson,Cosmetic sets from Late IronAge and Roman Britain,Britannia 16,1985, 165, 92.

R. Jackson, F.Thuillier,A British cosmetic set (nécessaire à fard) fromThérouanne (Pas-de-Calais, France), Bulletin Instrumentum 23, 1999, 4.

Site conçu par Lorenz Baumer et François Queyrel et réalisé par Lorenz Baumer, 2006/7