An ancient Roman samovar was found in France

Archaeologists from the French Institute Inrap during excavations near the commune of Die in France found an ancient Roman device for cooking. The artifact was found on a plot of land near the ancient Cathedral. Such items, known as authepsa, were described by Cicero, who noted their exorbitant cost.

The find looks like a samovar and is made of a copper alloy. The product consists of two compartments - a tank with a capacity of 4 liters and a spillway equipped with a spout. The height of the product was originally 47 cm, but years later the samovar broke up into fragments. In the Central part there was a chamber where coal was loaded. At the side was a handle fixed with a tin-lead alloy. The surface of the device is decorated with patterns and a small figure in the form of a dog. There are two square-shaped holes at the bottom. They were probably intended for ventilation.

There are very few such finds – scientists know only six ancient samovars of this design. And this instance is the second found in Gaul. After studying the coal preserved inside the remains of the container, scientists determined that it belongs to the I–II century ad.