File:Copper alloy mount in the shape of Minerva's head, Roman in date. (FindID 220548).jpg

English: Cast copper alloy vessel mount, in the shape of the goddess Minerva's head. It is hard to date this type of object precisely but it is most likely to be from the 1st-3rd centuries AD. The mount has a partialy hollow reverse, presumably where it would have attached to the vessel. It appears complete and is only slightly worn. The front of the mount is the face of Minerva. She is helmetted with the typical crest on top. Hair can be seen protruding from the helmet above the eyes and down the side of the face. The eyes are elliptical and recessed. The mouth is worn but appears to be open. The nose is quite flat, probably from wear. Minerva was the Roman equivalent of the Greek goddess Athena, and was believed to have sprung fully-grown and fully armoured from the head of Zeus. She is the personification of wisdom, the bestower of health and patroness of the arts and crafts (which would make her a suitable subject for objects associated with writing etc.). She is also a goddess of war and protectress of civilised society. Her sacred symbols include the olive tree, the cock, the owl and the serpent (Lindgren, 1978 Classical art forms and Celtic mutations, page 91). She was the most widely popular Graeco-Roman goddess in Britain, seen less in her role as goddess of war but more as a patron of the arts, healing and fertility (Toynbee, 1964, Art in Britain under the Romans).