Bronze Wine Dippers / Ladles

The two bronze dippers/ladles (simpula) feature long handles ending in finely stylised swan heads. One ladle is complete, while the other has a heavily corroded bowl, broken into two fragments.

Among the finds from the cargo of Wreck D at Punta Scifo are two elegant bronze ladles, used in the Roman period for drawing liquids, particularly wine. These ladles, decorated with swan heads at the end of the handle, were suitable for serving small quantities of liquid. Such objects attest to the high level of craftsmanship achieved in bronze-working during Late Antiquity and provide valuable insight into the convivial and ritual practices of elite society at the time.