A tabula ansata or tabella ansata (Latin for "tablet with handles", plural ''tabulae ansatae'' or ''tabellae ansatae'') is a tablet with

dovetail A dovetail joint or simply dovetail is a joinery technique most commonly used in woodworking joinery (carpentry), including furniture, cabinets, log buildings, and traditional timber framing. Noted for its resistance to being pulled apart, a ...

handle A handle is a part of, or an attachment to, an object that allows it to be grasped and object manipulation, manipulated by hand. The design of each type of handle involves substantial ergonomics, ergonomic issues, even where these are dealt wi ...

s. It was a favorite form for

votive A votive offering or votive deposit is one or more objects displayed or deposited, without the intention of recovery or use, in a sacred place for religious purposes. Such items are a feature of modern and ancient societies and are generally ...

tablets in Imperial Rome.

Overview

''Tabulae ansatae'' identifying soldiers' units have been found on the ''tegimenta'' (leather covers) of shields, for example in Vindonissa ( Windisch,

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

). Sculptural evidence, for example on the

metope A metope (; ) is a rectangular architectural element of the Doric order, filling the space between triglyphs in a frieze , a decorative band above an architrave. In earlier wooden buildings the spaces between triglyphs were first open, and ...

s from the Tropaeum Traiani ( Adamclisi,

Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...

), shows that they were also used for the same purpose on the shields.

Modern era

''Tabulae ansatae'' have been used by modern artists from as early as the 15th century, as shown on the tomb of Charles, Count of Maine, attributed to

Francesco Laurana Francesco Laurana, also known as Francesco de la Vrana (; c. 1430 – before 12 March 1502) was a Dalmatian sculptor and medallist. He is considered both a Croatian and an Italian sculptor. Though born in the territory of the Republic of Venic ...

, in Le Mans Cathedral. The

Statue of Liberty The Statue of Liberty (''Liberty Enlightening the World''; ) is a colossal neoclassical sculpture on Liberty Island in New York Harbor, within New York City. The copper-clad statue, a gift to the United States from the people of French Thir ...

by sculptor

Auguste Bartholdi Auguste may refer to: People Surname * Arsène Auguste (1951–1993), Haitian footballer * Donna Auguste (born 1958), African-American businesswoman * Georges Auguste (born 1933), Haitian painter * Henri Auguste (1759–1816), Parisian gol ...

is holding one such tablet on which "July IV MDCCLXXVI" is inscribed.

Gallery

File:4545 - Istanbul - Museo archeol. - Rilievo traianeo dalla Romania sec. II d.C. - Foto G. Dall'Orto 28-5-2006.jpg, ''Tabulae ansatae'' on soldiers' shields – metope from the Tropaeum Traiani, Archaeological Museum of Istanbul File:Dativius Victor Bogen.jpg, A ''tabula ansata'' on the attic of the arch of Dativius Victor ( de) in

Mainz Mainz (; #Names and etymology, see below) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate, and with around 223,000 inhabitants, it is List of cities in Germany by population, Germany's 35th-largest city. It lies in ...

File:Fra-titusbuen.jpg, ''Tabulae ansatae'' carried on sticks –

Arch of Titus The Arch of Titus (; ) is a 1st-century AD honorific arch, located on the Via Sacra, Rome, just to the south-east of the Roman Forum. It was constructed in 81 AD by Emperor Domitian shortly after the death of his older brother Titus to comm ...

File:Triumph1-Mantegna-picture-bearers.jpg, A ''tabula ansata'' carried on a stick – '' Triumphs of Caesar'' by

Andrea Mantegna Andrea Mantegna (, ; ; September 13, 1506) was an Italian Renaissance painter, a student of Ancient Rome, Roman archeology, and son-in-law of Jacopo Bellini. Like other artists of the time, Mantegna experimented with Perspective (graphical), pe ...

File:Ostia Mosaic.jpg, ''Tabula ansata'' on a mosaic in

Ostia Antica Ostia Antica () is an ancient Roman city and the port of Rome located at the mouth of the Tiber. It is near modern Ostia, southwest of Rome. Due to silting and the invasion of sand, the site now lies from the sea. The name ''Ostia'' (the pl ...

File:EIS PHAOS.JPG, ''Tabula ansata'' on

George Bancroft George Bancroft (October 3, 1800 – January 17, 1891) was an American historian, statesman and Democratic Party (United States), Democratic politician who was prominent in promoting secondary education both in his home state of Massachusetts ...

bookplate An , also known as a bookplate (or book-plate, as it was commonly styled until the early 20th century), is a printed or decorative label pasted into a book, often on the front endpaper, to indicate ownership. Simple typographical bookplates are ...

Statue of Liberty frontal 2.jpg, The

(formally ''Liberty Enlightening the World'') holds a ''tabula ansata'' inscribed with " July 4 1776" in

Roman numerals Roman numerals are a numeral system that originated in ancient Rome and remained the usual way of writing numbers throughout Europe well into the Late Middle Ages. Numbers are written with combinations of letters from the Latin alphabet, eac ...

Happy 4th! (14572157225).jpg, Detail of the Statue of Liberty's ''tabula''

Footnotes

External links

Ancient tabula ansata
made of metal from Italica (Spain).
Tabula ansata on the Shaykh Zwaydah (Cheikh Zouède) mosaicsource page
, 4th century AD, Ismailia museum, Egypt, discovered in 1913 by Jean Clédat {{DEFAULTSORT:Tabula Ansata Ancient Roman metalwork Inscriptions