The Corbridge Lanx
- Gallery: Room 49
- Culture: Roman
- Made in: Africa (? North Africa?); Turkey (?); Mediterranean (?)
- Date: 4thC
- Object type: lanx
- Materials: silver
- Museum number: 1993,0401.1
- Museum: The British Museum
- Collection record: British Museum website
- Image © The Trustees of the British Museum, shared under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 licence.
Listen to the free audio guide
About this object
This is The Corbridge Lanx, a beautifully decorated silver platter from Roman Britain, dating to the fourth century AD. You'll notice four main figures in the scene: on the left is Artemis, goddess of the hunt, holding a bow. To her right is Athena, wearing a helmet and raising her hand as if in conversation. Beside her stand a seated and a standing female figure—likely deities associated with Apollo’s shrine.
In the center stands Apollo at the entrance of the shrine, holding a bow and with his lyre nearby. Around the altar in the foreground, you can see a hunting dog and a fallen stag, as well as a griffin—mythical creatures linked to Apollo.
The platter was found in 1735 by a young girl near Hadrian’s Wall in Northumberland, likely from a hoard of silver. It’s an exquisite example of late Roman craftsmanship, possibly made in the Mediterranean or North Africa. The Greek island of Delos is thought to be the scene's inspiration, referencingApollo’s mythological origins.
See it in person
The Corbridge Lanx is on display in Room 49 at the British Museum on Great Russell Street, Bloomsbury, London — free to enter. Choose British Museum on audioguide.london and take a photo of it to hear this free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
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