The earliest known piece of pewter is an Egyptian vessel found at Abydos and dating from approximately 1400 B.C. It is not known just how common the use of the metal was at this time, but certainly, by the Roman era, it was in regular use. Britain's plentiful supply of the raw materials of pewter, (lead and tin), made it a valuable addition to the Roman empire. Many items of Roman pewter survive, but with the demise of Roman Britain, it seems that the material fell largely out of use, with the Saxons only seeming to make very limited use of the metal.