The everyday Roman drinking cup (calix, poculum) - a small handle-less ceramic vessel for wine, water, or watered wine (posca, the soldier's drink). Roman pottery workshops produced cups by the hundred-thousand; mass-produced and disposable, they appeared everywhere from taberna counters to legionary mess kits. Period: Roman antiquity, 1st c. BCE - 3rd c. CE.
This piece depicts a typical small handle-less cup with a slight foot - the form that survives in countless thousands across Pompeii, Herculaneum, Vindolanda, and every legionary fort.
Painting tips
- Terracotta base, brown wash, pale highlight on the rim and foot.
- Optional dark stain inside for a used look.
Historical sources & further reading
- Pompeii and Vindolanda: domestic ceramic finds
- Hayes, John W. Roman Pottery (2008)
⚠ Small parts. Not suitable for children under 14.





