Spindle-shaped unguentarium

Spindle-shaped unguentarium

Date
3rd century BC
Dimensions
Height: 170mm
Width: 60mm
Medium
Terracotta
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A vessel in the shape of a narrow bottle with a defined base, a fusiform body and a long neck with an everted rim. It is assumed that unguentaria were meant to catch the teardrops that were shed at someone’s grave. The Latin etymology of the name suggests that the vessel was also intended for unguents. They occur in archaeological deposits between the 3rd and 1st centuries BC.

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