BLMJ-335

PERFUME BOTTLE

Core-formed vessel

Egypt

Mid-Eighteenth Dynasty, 1401-1334 BCE

BLMJ 335

The manufacture of glass objects in Egypt rapidly

reached a remarkably high level of sophistication

during the Amarna period. The remains of a glass

factory were found in the area of the palace, suggesting

that the craft may have been under royal patronage.

V-7

ALABASTRON

Core-formed vessel

Eastern Mediterranean

Probably fifth century BCE

Similar alabastra come from a wide range of find spots

from the Black Sea region to Ibiza, although

predominantly from East Greek contexts. A similarly

colored fragment with the same furrowed pattern was

discovered together with a total of six hundred other

fragments of various types of core-formed vessels at the

Demeter and Persephone sanctuary at Cyrene. These

vessels once were filled with costly scented oils. Their

assemblage suggests that all of these vessels were

originally precious offerings to the goddesses of the

sanctuary.

V-8

AMPHORISKOS

Core-formed vessel

Eastern Mediterranean

Last third of the sixth century BCE

The distribution of similar vessels ranges from the

Aegean to Macedonia, and from Anatolia to the Black

Sea region with its Greek colonies, from the second

quarter of the sixth until the last quarter of the fifth

century BCE. Amphoriskoi were used as containers for

scented oils.

V-12

OINOCHOAI

Core-formed vessel

East Greek, probably made in Rhodes

First half of fifth century BCE

These oinochoai belong to a group of vessels of typically

Greek shape with a high swung handle, decorated with

a regular zigzag pattern. The artisan formed the trefoil

rim by twisting the neck of the still viscous body in a

clockwise direction. Tooling marks from drawing the

foot out from the bottom and the lack of a central pin

hole are evidence that the foot was neither made

separately nor attached to the bottom.

Below the zigzags in this vessel, a thread formed a

double spiral running in the opposite direction. This

demonstrates a change in the movement of the rotating

working rod.

Excavated examples of these vessels were found in sites

ranging from Anatolia and the Eastern Mediterranean

to Spain, and northward to the northern region of the

Black Sea. Most of these have come to light in Greece

and the Greek islands while half of them occurred on

Rhodes, probably the main center of production.

Characteristic of these vessels is a spherical bead,

pressed flat into the base of the handle, a glass imitation

of a rivet found on metal prototypes. These pseudo-

rivets are considered to be the trade mark of a Rhodian

workshop.

Rhodes was famous in antiquity for its production of

perfume. It has suggested that luxurious glass

containers such as these oinochoai may have been

manufactured on Rhodes and subsequently sold to

perfumeries whose owners filled them with scented oils

and unguents thereby satisfying the needs of their

customers.

V-14

TWO OINOCHOAI

Core-formed vessel

East Greek, probably made in Rhodes

First half of fifth century BCE

These oinochoai belong to a group of vessels of typically

Greek shape with a high swung handle, decorated with

a regular zigzag pattern. The artisan formed the trefoil

rim by twisting the neck of the still viscous body in a

clockwise direction. Tooling marks from drawing the

foot out from the bottom and the lack of a central pin

hole are evidence that the foot was neither made

separately nor attached to the bottom.

Below the zigzags in this vessel, a thread formed a

double spiral running in the opposite direction. This

demonstrates a change in the movement of the rotating

working rod.

Excavated examples of these vessels were found in sites

ranging from Anatolia and the Eastern Mediterranean

to Spain, and northward to the northern region of the

Black Sea. Most of these have come to light in Greece

and the Greek islands while half of them occurred on

Rhodes, probably the main center of production.

Characteristic of these vessels is a spherical bead,

pressed flat into the base of the handle, a glass imitation

of a rivet found on metal prototypes. These pseudo-

rivets are considered to be the trade mark of a Rhodian

workshop.

Rhodes was famous in antiquity for its production of

perfume. It has suggested that luxurious glass

containers such as these oinochoai may have been

manufactured on Rhodes and subsequently sold to

perfumeries whose owners filled them with scented oils

and unguents thereby satisfying the needs of their

customers.

V-17

ARYBALLOS WITH PERFORATED STOPPER

AND GOLD STAND

Core-formed vessel

Eastern Mediterranean

Fifth century BCE

This aryballos belongs to a widely dispersed group,

examples of which are made of dark glass and

decorated with a more or less identical zigzag pattern.

They come from regions extending from the Levant and

the Black Sea region as far west as Spain, although,

admittedly, the overwhelming number of examples was

found on the isles of the Aegean and on the Greek

mainland.

The aryballos is the Greek word for a specific type of

spherical oil flask, examples of which were generally

made of clay. Its small mouth with funnel-shaped rim

was ideal for pouring out oil. Aryballoi were employed

by Greek athletes as receptacles for the oil used in place

of soap to cleanse their bodies after exercising in the

palestra. These examples were traditionally made of

clay because Greek athletes could not afford the delicate

and highly prized aryballoi of glass, although a

champion might have received such a vessel as either a

gift or an award.

On the basis of their uses documented in figural scenes

decorating Greek vases and reliefs, one may suggest

that an aryballos was traditionally suspended, awaiting

use. On the other hand, whenever it was placed on a

flat surface such as on a toilet-table or in the tomb of

the deceased, the oil-filled, round-bottomed aryballos

was often placed into a small stand. Stands for vessels

unable to support themselves are preserved, some

manufactured of precious material such as gold. It is

often difficult to determine whether any given vessel

paired in modern times with a stand, such as this

example, represent an original ensemble.

At an unknown time in its history, a bead was obliquely

fused into the mouth of this aryballos, creating an

exceptional ensemble because beads were not normally

used as stoppers. The longitudinally pierced channel in

the bead, by which it was intended to be strung onto a

necklace, may have served as sprinkler head, controlling

the discharge of precious scented oil.

V-21

AMPHORISKOS WITH GOLD STAND

Core-formed vessel

Mediterranean

Mid-fourth through third centuries BCE

When production of core-formed vessels was renewed

In the fourth century after a decline in their production,

the amphoriskoi of this type are rarely attested. New

decorative patterns in trailing the thread spirally

downwards are introduced and these are now wound

from right to left in a clockwise direction around the

body of the vessel.

V-30

TWO AMPHORISKOI

Core-formed vessel

Eastern Mediterranean

First century BCE to mid-first century CE

These amphoriskoi belong to a group of vessels

characterized by a tall neck and an elongated ovoid

body with vertical handles and base-knob. Amphoriskoi

are the most common shapes in this group

distinguished by use of translucent to transparent glass

for their applied handles and feet. With hues ranging

from bluish to greenish or amber, the glass used to

manufacture these examples visually appears to

resemble that of blown vessels, a revolutionary

technique invented in the middle of the first century

BCE.

Amphoriskoi were used as containers for scented oils.

Examples of ancient glass vessels still containing

original liquids are very rare, but one amphoriskos

dated to the same period as our example still contained

a viscous brown, odorless liquid. It was probably

preserved because a weathering layer covered the

stopper. When analyzed, this liquid proved to be a

perfume-like substance with an olive oil base

resembling, also, an early kind of soap.

V-32

TWO AMPHORISKOI

Core-formed vessel

Eastern Mediterranean

First century BCE to mid-first century CE

These amphoriskoi belong to a group of vessels

characterized by a tall neck and an elongated ovoid

body with vertical handles and base-knob. Amphoriskoi

are the most common shapes in this group

distinguished by use of translucent to transparent glass

for their applied handles and feet. With hues ranging

from bluish to greenish or amber, the glass used to

manufacture these examples visually appears to

resemble that of blown vessels, a revolutionary

technique invented in the middle of the first century

BCE.

Amphoriskoi were used as containers for scented oils.

Examples of ancient glass vessels still containing

original liquids are very rare, but one amphoriskos

dated to the same period as our example still contained

a viscous brown, odorless liquid. It was probably

preserved because a weathering layer covered the

stopper. When analyzed, this liquid proved to be a

perfume-like substance with an olive oil base

resembling, also, an early kind of soap.

V-34

KOHL TUBE

Rod-formed vessel

Western Asiatic, probably from northwestern Iran

Achaemenid Persian Empire

Fifth to early fourth centuries BCE

From the very beginning of the history of glass making

and working in the Ancient Near East in the mid-

second millennium BCE, glass artisans formed beads,

amulets and pendants around a rod. This traditional

rod-based method of manufacturing represents a slight

modification and adaptation by glassmakers of the

technique employed by craftsmen manufacturing beads

in both faience and clay. Whereas earlier glass vessels of

Western Asiatic, Egyptian, and Mediterranean origin

were shaped around a core fixed on a rod, the later

glass vessels of the Achaemenid Empire were fashioned

directly on a rod. One can clearly recognize the remains

on the interior wall of that rod which had been pre-

coated with a thin slip of clay, or a clay-like substance.

The tubular interior serves as a perfectly designed

container for kohl, a black, galena-based eye paint in

the Near East from earliest times. Several kohl tubes still

contain kohl, and a few of those are still accompanied

by their original cosmetic sticks with which this cosmetic

was applied. These tubes also served for the storing and

dispensing of pharmaceuticals.

The provenance of most of these kohl-tube vessels is not

known, but those with known find-spots come from

northwest Iran and its neighboring regions. These were

manufactured during the course of a very limited time

period.

V-36b

MOSAIC FLORAL PLAQUE

Fused from sections of mosaic bars

Egyptian

Hellenistic Period, End of third to second century BCE

Fragments of rectangular floral plaques, such as this

example, belong to a series of tiles. Although such tiles

are invariably encountered ubiquitously throughout

Egypt, they are thought to have been manufactured in

middle Egypt for the purpose of adorning architectural

elements and furniture such as naoi. Such plaques have

also been unearthed at sites in the Galilee, and

Rabseleja Var, Slovenia.

V-38

MOSAIC BOWL

Fused mosaic glass, formed over a core mold

Eastern Mediterranean or Italy

Early Roman Imperial

First half of first century CE

The convex bowl is one of the commonest shapes

encountered in the repertoire of early Roman Imperial

glass vessels. These vessels were crafted in opaque

monochromatic glass as well as in mosaic glass. Slightly

later vessels are known in translucent glass as well. In

order to shape the vessel, sections of mosaic glass were

assembled and fused to form a disk-shaped blank. This

blank was then placed onto a convex core mold

contoured to the desired shape of the finished bowl.

When heated, the glass sagged under its own weight,

thereby covering the mold, and was further shaped by

tooling or/and by pressing an outer mold onto it. The

foot was made then applied to the base of the vessel by

tooling.

The broad, shallow mosaic glass bowl (no. 0) is less

common than the convex mosaic bowl but the mosaic

rosette decoration is, nevertheless, one of the most

popular motives used for building up mosaic vessels of

different shapes.

V-39 (side view)

MOSAIC BOWL

Fused mosaic glass, formed over a core mold

Eastern Mediterranean or Italy

Early Roman Imperial

First half of first century CE

The convex bowl is one of the commonest shapes

encountered in the repertoire of early Roman Imperial

glass vessels. These vessels were crafted in opaque

monochromatic glass as well as in mosaic glass. Slightly

later vessels are known in translucent glass as well. In

order to shape the vessel, sections of mosaic glass were

assembled and fused to form a disk-shaped blank. This

blank was then placed onto a convex core mold

contoured to the desired shape of the finished bowl.

When heated, the glass sagged under its own weight,

thereby covering the mold, and was further shaped by

tooling or/and by pressing an outer mold onto it. The

foot was made then applied to the base of the vessel by

tooling.

The broad, shallow mosaic glass bowl (no. 0) is less

common than the convex mosaic bowl but the mosaic

rosette decoration is, nevertheless, one of the most

popular motives used for building up mosaic vessels of

different shapes.

V-39 (top view)

MOSAIC BOWL

Fused mosaic glass, formed over a core mold

Eastern Mediterranean or Italy

Early Roman Imperial

First half of first century CE

The convex bowl is one of the commonest shapes

encountered in the repertoire of early Roman Imperial

glass vessels. These vessels were crafted in opaque

monochromatic glass as well as in mosaic glass. Slightly

later vessels are known in translucent glass as well. In

order to shape the vessel, sections of mosaic glass were

assembled and fused to form a disk-shaped blank. This

blank was then placed onto a convex core mold

contoured to the desired shape of the finished bowl.

When heated, the glass sagged under its own weight,

thereby covering the mold, and was further shaped by

tooling or/and by pressing an outer mold onto it. The

foot was made then applied to the base of the vessel by

tooling.

The broad, shallow mosaic glass bowl (no. 0) is less

common than the convex mosaic bowl but the mosaic

rosette decoration is, nevertheless, one of the most

popular motives used for building up mosaic vessels of

different shapes.

V-40

MOSAIC BOWL

Fused mosaic glass, formed over a core mold

Eastern Mediterranean or Italy

Early Roman Imperial

First half of first century CE

The convex bowl is one of the commonest shapes

encountered in the repertoire of early Roman Imperial

glass vessels. These vessels were crafted in opaque

monochromatic glass as well as in mosaic glass. Slightly

later vessels are known in translucent glass as well. In

order to shape the vessel, sections of mosaic glass were

assembled and fused to form a disk-shaped blank. This

blank was then placed onto a convex core mold

contoured to the desired shape of the finished bowl.

When heated, the glass sagged under its own weight,

thereby covering the mold, and was further shaped by

tooling or/and by pressing an outer mold onto it. The

foot was made then applied to the base of the vessel by

tooling.

The broad, shallow mosaic glass bowl (no. 0) is less

common than the convex mosaic bowl but the mosaic

rosette decoration is, nevertheless, one of the most

popular motives used for building up mosaic vessels of

different shapes.

V-47

MOSAIC ALABASTRON

Rod-formed vessel, made of mosaic canes

Italy, perhaps Rome

Early Roman Imperial

First century BCE to early first century CE

Among the preserved vessels exhibiting an innumerable

array of mosaic patterns are those intended to imitate

naturally banded stones such as agate, as in the present

example. Agate was one of the Roman's favorite stones.

Vessels with an agate mosaic pattern are preserved in a

variety of shapes. Agate mosaic patterned glass is often

ascribed to an Italian provenance, especially to Rome,

although recorded find-spots of such vessels are not

restricted to Italy.

V-48

RIBBED DRINKING BOWL

Worked on a turning wheel over core mold

Levant or Italy

Early Roman Imperial

End of first century BCE to end of first century CE

The abundance of monochrome or clear glass bowls,

both plain and ribbed, was the result of using a turning

wheel, which accelerated the glass-making process

enormously, a technique which was soon modified for

creating other vessel shapes as well. It was the most

revolutionary invention in glass working before glass

blowing.

This bowl is also adorned with decorative grooves. Such

grooves first appear to have been applied to the

interiors of ribbed bowls around the middle of the first

century BCE in workshops in the East. Examples are

less frequently encountered in the other provinces of the

Roman Empire, such as Helvetia (Switzerland).

The increasing number of deep drinking bowls from the

Hellenistic Period onward may attest to a change of

drinking and eating habits. Ribbed bowls appear in

abundance and formed part of fine tableware services

gracing the triclinia of wealthy Romans. As such, these

vessels represent one of those rare shapes first created

in glass and only afterwards imitated in other materials

such as pottery.

V-49

BOTTLE

Free-blown glass, formed of folded, fused and blown

canes

Eastern Mediterranean or Italy

First century CE

In accordance with the great number of early blown

glass vessels, the shape of these bottles is based upon

the spherical shape of the glass bubble. As in earlier

times, blue and yellowish-brown colors imitating stones

in different shades remained popular. These bottles

belong to an early group of Roman glass vessels with

veined or color-banded patterns in imitation of veined

stones.

The technique of certain banded bottles still requires

additional investigation because such hollow shapes can

also be achieved without recourse to blowing by

fashioning them upside down. This manufacturing

technique relies upon the natural flow of the glass.

V-50

BOTTLE

Free-blown glass, formed of folded, fused and blown

canes

Eastern Mediterranean or Italy

First century CE

In accordance with the great number of early blown

glass vessels, the shape of these bottles is based upon

the spherical shape of the glass bubble. As in earlier

times, blue and yellowish-brown colors imitating stones

in different shades remained popular. These bottles

belong to an early group of Roman glass vessels with

veined or color-banded patterns in imitation of veined

stones.

The technique of certain banded bottles still requires

additional investigation because such hollow shapes can

also be achieved without recourse to blowing by

fashioning them upside down. This manufacturing

technique relies upon the natural flow of the glass.

V-53

AMPHORISKOS

Blown in two-part mold

Roman Empire

Second half of first century CE

There are numerous examples of similar amphoriskoi.

Because of the wide variations in the quality and color

of glass employed, the different heights of the individual

vessels, the inconsistency in the number of ridges from

one example to another, and the variety of base-shapes,

one posits the existence of several different workshops.

Dated examples were found in Pompeii, Georgia and

Armenia. With their elongated ovoid bodies they are

miniature imitations of large transport amphorae of the

Graeco-Italic type.

V-54

DATE-SHAPED BOTTLE

Blown in two-part mold

Levant

Mid-first through second centuries CE

Before human beings learned how to shape vessels of

different materials, hollowed-out fruits served as

receptacles. Throughout history, therefore, different

types of fruit frequently served as sources of inspiration

for the creation of vessels. Among the earliest, preserved

glass vessels, which were core-formed and not blown,

are some in the shape of pomegranates and of grapes.

One of the most common shapes among the mold-

blown vessels in the form of fruits are the date-shaped

flasks, especially those made of amber to brown-colored

glass; examples of blue, green, purple, and black vessels

are rarer. While these date flasks were distributed

throughout the Roman Empire, two-thirds of the

known examples are from sites in the Near East, and

most of those have been found on the coast, where glass

workshops seem to have been located.

The intended contents of these date-shaped bottles are

not known, but these delicate receptacles may have

been filled with either a scented oil or a sweetening

ingredient, and presented as gifts on special occasions.

V-55

DATE-SHAPED BOTTLE

Blown in two-part mold

Levant

Mid-first through second centuries CE

Before human beings learned how to shape vessels of

different materials, hollowed-out fruits served as

receptacles. Throughout history, therefore, different

types of fruit frequently served as sources of inspiration

for the creation of vessels. Among the earliest, preserved

glass vessels, which were core-formed and not blown,

are some in the shape of pomegranates and of grapes.

One of the most common shapes among the mold-

blown vessels in the form of fruits are the date-shaped

flasks, especially those made of amber to brown-colored

glass; examples of blue, green, purple, and black vessels

are rarer. While these date flasks were distributed

throughout the Roman Empire, two-thirds of the

known examples are from sites in the Near East, and

most of those have been found on the coast, where glass

workshops seem to have been located.

The intended contents of these date-shaped bottles are

not known, but these delicate receptacles may have

been filled with either a scented oil or a sweetening

ingredient, and presented as gifts on special occasions.

V-56

DATE-SHAPED BOTTLE

Blown in two-part mold

Levant

Mid-first through second centuries CE

Before human beings learned how to shape vessels of

different materials, hollowed-out fruits served as

receptacles. Throughout history, therefore, different

types of fruit frequently served as sources of inspiration

for the creation of vessels. Among the earliest, preserved

glass vessels, which were core-formed and not blown,

are some in the shape of pomegranates and of grapes.

One of the most common shapes among the mold-

blown vessels in the form of fruits are the date-shaped

flasks, especially those made of amber to brown-colored

glass; examples of blue, green, purple, and black vessels

are rarer. While these date flasks were distributed

throughout the Roman Empire, two-thirds of the

known examples are from sites in the Near East, and

most of those have been found on the coast, where glass

workshops seem to have been located.

The intended contents of these date-shaped bottles are

not known, but these delicate receptacles may have

been filled with either a scented oil or a sweetening

ingredient, and presented as gifts on special occasions.

V-57

DATE-SHAPED BOTTLE

Blown in two-part mold

Levant

Mid-first through second centuries CE

Before human beings learned how to shape vessels of

different materials, hollowed-out fruits served as

receptacles. Throughout history, therefore, different

types of fruit frequently served as sources of inspiration

for the creation of vessels. Among the earliest, preserved

glass vessels, which were core-formed and not blown,

are some in the shape of pomegranates and of grapes.

One of the most common shapes among the mold-

blown vessels in the form of fruits are the date-shaped

flasks, especially those made of amber to brown-colored

glass; examples of blue, green, purple, and black vessels

are rarer. While these date flasks were distributed

throughout the Roman Empire, two-thirds of the

known examples are from sites in the Near East, and

most of those have been found on the coast, where glass

workshops seem to have been located.

The intended contents of these date-shaped bottles are

not known, but these delicate receptacles may have

been filled with either a scented oil or a sweetening

ingredient, and presented as gifts on special occasions.

V-59

DOUBLE HEAD-SHAPED FLASK

Blown in two-part mold

Eastern Mediterranean

First century CE

Head-shaped glass vessels of different shapes originated

in the eastern Mediterranean probably in the Augustan

period, and were particularly favored. They occur with

a single, a double, or multiple heads. They were

distributed over a wide geographic area and in the

fourth century CE they even appear to have been

produced in the Rhineland.

Deities and mythological creatures are the most

common themes depicted on these vessels, and those

include Medusa, who is represented on this vessel.

V-63

SNAKE-THREAD BOTTLE

Free-blown glass with thread decoration

Eastern Mediterranean

Late second to first half of third century CE

This type of bottle comes in a variety of sizes and has a

far-flung geographic distribution. The most common

shape is either that of a bottle with funnel-shaped neck

or that of a beaker. Examples are known not only from

the East but also from Cologne, where the earliest

vessels of this type are dated mid-second century CE. In

Cologne their production peaks in the third century CE.

Snake-thread decorations survived into the early

Medieval Period.

V-68

BALSAMARIUM

Rod-formed vessel

Probably Syria

Late Roman Empire – Byzantine period, Fifth to

seventh centuries CE

This balsamarium belongs to a group of opaque glass

ribbed vessels, visually dark-colored in appearance,

which were manufactured in this shape or in a small

squat shape. This vessel was used as a container either

for cosmetics, such as eye paint, or for an ointment

(balsam from whence the word balsamarium).

V-73

FACETED BOWL

Glass pressed onto a rotating mold, cold-worked,

ground and cut

Gilan Province, Iran

Sassanian Empire

Sixth to seventh centuries CE

Glass artisans in both Persia and Mesopotamia

continued to hand down ancient glass techniques to

posterity for a considerably long period of time. This

tradition enabled the glass industry of the East to

continue to flourish under the Sassanian emperors

(247-651 CE) when their production rivaled that of both

Rome and Byzantium. The Sassanian glass artisans

acquired the technique of cutting glass, for which they

were justifiably famous, from contemporary craftsmen

engaged in carving hard stones. Vessels exhibiting

honeycomb facet-cutting are characteristic of their art.

The astonishing artistic survival of this tradition

persisted into Islamic times. These bowls were carefully

kept as heirlooms or presented as donations; some even

reached Japan, one having been excavated in tumulus

tomb of the emperor Ankan (531-535 CE) and a second,

perhaps having been a donation to the Tōdai-ji temple

at Nara by the emperor Shōmu who ruled in the late

eighth century CE.

V-75

FACETED MINIATURE FLASK

Glass pressed onto a rotating mold, cold-worked,

ground and cut

Islamic

Eighth to ninth century CE

Faceted bowls continued to be manufactured in Islamic

times after the armies of Islam conquered those areas

which had been under the rule of the Sassanians,

particularly at Islamic sites such as Nishapur from the

ninth century onward.