Roman aubergine-purple glass aryballos oil flask
R31£1,000.00
Available
An aubergine-purple glass aryballos vessel with a squat globular body, disc rim and two arched handles.
The aryballos shape was first used by the Greeks and later adopted by the Romans to store perfumed oils in bath-houses. The disc-shaped rim reduced spillage of the precious oils and a bronze chain was often suspended from the handles so that the vase could be carried or stored safely in slippery conditions.
Culture:
Roman, 3rd or 4th Century AD
Size:
10 x 8.9 cms
Condition:
Minor losses to the trailing line on the top of the handles otherwise intact
Provenance
Ex. deceased estate, Maidenhead, Berkshire, UK; acquired 1960’s-1970’s. Possibly acquired with other antiquities purchased in Jerusalem or Tel Aviv in May, 1970.