Bottle shaped like a date, 1st century AD
Amber-coloured glass, blown in a four-part mould
(H x Ø)6,9 × 2,8 cm
Place of originSuriyah
About the workThe fact that they look like dried dates can scarcely have been the reason for the popularity of these glass flacons in the Roman Empire. Yet hardly any other type of mould-blown glass is as common in the first century AD, especially as grave goods for women and girls. Sweet dates were given as good luck charms at New Year; perhaps the small bottles, filled with a corresponding scented oil, were also given as gifts. Or did they contain an eyebrow ointment made from the ashes of date stones?
AccessionGift of Helmut Hentrich, 1971
Inventory numberP 1971-79
