Chests and baskets from past times

Roman baskets & chests

A walk through a museum will shows very little of the techniques, which were used to produce wicker baskets in ancient times. Due to the transience of the material, only a few pieces have been preserved or reconstructed. The best examples are shown in drawings or mosaics.

Baskets enjoy a long tradition and not all baskets are the same

The Roman writer Columella describes in his book on agriculture the use of wicker baskets in viticulture. The grapes were transported with panniers. The author specifies the capacity of these baskets with around 26 to 87 liters. The largest documented wickerwork were food baskets with a capacity of about 170 liters. Flat paniers and colanders were used for pressing grapes. Wickerwork also played an important role in grain harvesting. The grain was separated from the chaff using a winnowing. Very dense weaved baskets were used to make cheese. The curdled milk was filled in the basket and the whey was able to drain slowly.

This type of baskets has also been used to preserve vegetables. Beehives could be made from wicker,sweet grass or rind. The press baskets for the honey were mostly made from wicker. Bottle baskets made of rushes, rushes or straw were often used to protect glass bottles or clay jugs. A completely preserved glass jug from the Roman imperial period was found in Fayûm, whose protective basket was also preserved. Cay bowls were protected with a wicker basket as well. Furthermore, a Terra Sigillata (a bowl with a wickerwork encasement) was found in a well shaft of a "Villa Rustica" near Mönchengladbach. In addition, numerous finds and illustrations show the use of wickerwork as fish traps. Wicker chair replicas were found in a Roman tomb in Cologne-Weiden dating back to the 2nd century. Wicker chairs are depicted on numerous stelae and preserved as small bronzes. These chairs were very popular among Roman women. In addition to the wicker chairs there are also illustrations of wicker chests.

Roman boxes, chests and furniture

Whether you're looking for a wooden money box, a bone box with delicate patterns, or a massive beech wood box with fittings: all these antique decorations will beautify your home, your entrance area, your shelves, your writing table or night table. These handcrafted boxes and chests are also a perfect decoration for dressers, and are a truly precious storage container for your treasures! For example, Roman bone boxes were a depository for little things that were otherwise lying around. Or discover a piece of furniture for storing precious things! Keep antique values authentic: store your treasures in an antique and massive wooden money chest! The exclusive reconstruction work of Forum Traiani is modeled on a massive wooden chest from Pompeji dating back to the 1st century AD. Elaborate decorations from bronze (according to the original) can decorate the beautiful piece of furniture from the time of the Romans. The miniaturized chest is decorated with no less than 1,700 Roman iron nails and made of solid wood. It has an opening in the lid - like a real treasure chest. A copy of the ornate treasure chest is displayed in a museum in Augusta Raurica (Augst), Switzerland. Chests of this kind were often placed in the entrance area of Roman villas and showed the visitor that the house owner (dominus) is a wealthy man.

Or how about a Roman wooden box with box joints and a grooved wooden floor. A stable lid can be opened and closed. The Roman chest made of massive beech wood is oiled and manufactured in our Roman Shop workshop in Germany. Each wooden box is carefully crafted by the carpenter and is glued for long-lasting use at Roman festivals or as a decoration in your entrance or living room. Chests provide order and the wooden cover has an internal wooden stopper so it can not fall out. Various everyday items can can be placed in this wooden box and the Roman chest is a real jewel! Now, browse through the boxes and crates of ancient models and let yourself be inspired by your very own treasure chest!

Basket replicas ready for use!

All wicker baskets - whether a basket with straight bars, sovereign fruit basket, a basket for dried flower decorations or with crossed bars - all of them are fully functional and woven from different types of willow; In accordance with original illustrations. After long experimentation with manufacturing and braiding techniques, these unique pieces in small series are finally available in the Roman Shop! Every piece is a unique wickerwork and a literal feast for the eyes!