On the Road

Abstract

Otherwise known as the Vicarello Cups, these four vessels have been studied for their engraved itineraries, rather than for their materiality and design. At a time when pictorial maps existed but were rarely used for travel, such itineraries instrumentalized mobility through formulaic lists of destinations and distances. The place names evoke the journey’s multilingual soundscape, while also offering a framework for comparing sites connected by the Roman road system and its milestones (which the cups resemble). The Vicarello itineraries begin in Gades (Cádiz, Spain) and end in Rome, after passing through such famous sites as Tarragona, Nîmes, Arles, and Rimini. The chapter argues that the sumptuous silver cups, rather than being travel tools themselves, commemorate aspirational mobility. The cups’ owners are unknown, but the trajectories of the texts can be connected to a long history of provincial influence on Rome.