a. Coptic 5th-7th century b. 29.6 x 20.5 cm, painted earthenware c. The British Museum 1919,0505.187
a. Abu Mina, Egypt c. 480-650 b. 9 x 4.5 cm, painted terracotta c. The British Museum 1982,0402.9
Souvenir juglet modelled as the head of Saint Menas. A souvenir juglet in the form of a head of Saint Menas: large nose and wide painted eyes, a dimpled chin, and large curls across the forehead and flanking the face; hair is also indicated at the back by vertical striations. The top of the head tapers up to a expanding rim with a double-moulded edge, and the vessel stands on a flaring foot, now damaged, slightly concave below. A handle extends from the mouth to the back of the head. Two-piece mould, with an applied handle. Pale-orange clay, with some white grits. The eyes are painted black and white, and there is black on the mouth; the edge of the base is red and there is red colour on the mouth.
a. El Jem, Tunisia c. 350-400 b. 6.5 x 9 cm c. The British Museum 2002,1029.17
Rim -sherd from the border of an African Red Slip Ware pottery lanx (large rectangular dish), showing the life of Achilles. Women spinning thread and musician (piper).
a. Tunisia mid 4th century b. 18.8 x 4.7 cm, terra sigillata (African Red Slip Ware) c. The British Museum 1997,0402.1
Pottery: African Red Slip Ware dish or bowl with appliqué decoration. The larger scene shows a group of cupids. The central cupid reclines and seems to be mimicking Hercules, while the others make offerings to him of a garland and a kid. The smaller appliqué shows a centaur-triton blowing an elongated triton shell.
a. Tunisia late 4th century b. 20.5 cm, terra sigillata (African Red Slip Ware) c. The British Museum 1994,0720.2
a. Roman Syro-Palestine after 5th century b. 8.1 cm, glass c. Metropolitan Museum of Art 29.100.89
Uncertain translucent color; trail and pontil pad in opaque brownish red. Thick, outsplayed rim, folded over, in, and pressed down into mouth; very short, concave, cylindrical neck; globular body; kick in bottom, with traces of pontil pad. Single marvered trail applied as a large pad on bottom and wound up in a spiral eleven or more times over body and rim, then tooled into hanging festoons with seven upward tooling strokes. Intact; pinprick bubbles on surface; thick creamy brown weathering and iridescence covering most of body with areas of pitting and dulling on exterior, but trail largely unweathered, soil encrustation and thick weathering on interior. Other examples are said to be made from translucent yellowish brown glass. A number of jars of this type are known, all probably from the same Syrian workshop. Their date, however, is less certain, and suggestions range from the 3rd to the 8th century A.D.
a. Roman Syria c. 4th-6th century b. 11.1 x 5 cm, glass c. Metropolitan Museum of Art 91.1.1361
Translucent blue green; handle in same color; trails in translucent cobalt blue. Plain rim, with downward flange on one side; flaring mouth; cylindrical neck, expanding slightly downwards; slanting, rounded shoulder; funnel-shaped body; thick bottom with kick and small, central pontil scar; reeded strap handle attached unevenly to shoulder, drawn up and outwards in a curve, then attached to edge of rim and trailed back on itself. Narrow ribs extend in a tight spiral down from left to right from rim to lower body, in low relief at top but fading from shoulder downwards; a thick trail wound once round outer edge of rim; another thick trail applied on lower neck, wound round overlapping itself twice, then drawn in a spiral up neck and across underside of mouth ending as a fine line over trail on rim. Intact, except for part of trail on neck; many bubbles, some elongated, and a few black impurities; shallow vertical tooling indent in side of body; dulling, slight pitting, faint weathering, and small areas of soil encrustation on exterior, thick soil deposit in bottom of interior
a. Probably Tunisia, c. 5th century b. 14.6 x 8.3 cm, molded earthenware c. Metropolitan Museum of Art 27.94.30
Small earthenware lamps, made from double molds, were the most commonly used source of light in North Africa during the early Byzantine period. A wick produced from plant fiber or linen fabric was placed in a reservoir filled with oil, generally castor or sesame oil, and illuminated. The disc of this lamp depicts the standing figure of Christ holding a cross-staff and treading underfoot the lion, the dragon, the asp, and the basilisk. He is nimbed and flanked by flying angels. The image is enclosed by a broad rim decorated with circles enclosing the christogram (monogram for Christ’s name), foliated lozenges, and chevrons. Religious images used as decoration were thought to offer protection for the lamp’s owner.
a. Coptic c. 4th-7th century b. 4.9 x 11.7 x 9.7 cm, earthenware c. Metropolitan Museum of Art 25.10.20.71
a. Early Byzantine c. 7th century b. 3.8 x 9.2 cm, terracotta c. Metropolitan Museum of Art 74.51.2127
Vessberg Type 19. Mold-made. Applied conical handle. Sharply carinated, pear-shaped body. Discus: square pattern comprising two curved, raised lines on each side around central filling hole; channel to wick hole, with a raised dot above; around discus, two raised, curving lines, the inner of which also encircles the wick hole. Wide, rounded shoulder with raised short lines on upper part. Small, flat base, with a pattern of a central hollow dot and a hollow circle.