Cignus

Silver-gilt cigni with a bird headed handle and bowl decorated with a mythical marine creature. 4th century CE from the Hoxne Hoard

Cignus (plural: cigni, "swan") is a name used by archaeologists for a type of large Roman spoon with a short, curved, handle, often formed as the neck and head of a swan. Cigni have been found in a number of Roman sites from the 4th and 5th centuries CE, including the Thetford and Hoxne Hoards. It is not known for certain what they were called by the Romans, but there are references to cigni in Roman sources in appropriate contexts.

See also

• Cochlearium

Further reading

• Johns, Catherine (2010), The Hoxne Late Roman Treasure: Gold Jewellery and Silver Plate, British Museum Press, ISBN 9780714118178., pp. 98-106
• Harald Mielsch, 'Miszellen zur spätantiken Toreutik', in Archäologisches Anzeiger 1992, pp. 111-152.