Flask
Dublin Core
Title
Flask
Subject
Flask, Sardis, late 5th - 6th century, ceramic, Manisa, Archaeological and Ethnographic Museum
Description
DESCRIPTION
Large lentoid flask. Two handles from shoulder to neck. Mold made in two pieces; wheel-made neck and handles added separately. Decoration in relief on two sides. Side A: cross within circle, with two hares below, one resting forelegs on cross, the other on the enclosing circle, reaching up to eat branches. Side B: two facing geese eating grapes, framed with zig-zags. Preserved height 0.24 m, diameter of body 0.187 m, thickness of flask (back to front) 0.095 m.
COMMENTS
From Byzantine Shop E5 (cf. No. 220). This same shop contained the bronze lamp in the form of a lion, No. 223. Like the plate No. 220 and incense shovel No. 222, the cross on the flask emphasizes its association with Christian practice. This is an unusually large version of a well-known type of small flask or ampulla that was carried by pilgrims and other travelers in Late Antiquity. Written sources mention the protective power of their contents — sanctified earth, oil, or water—as well as the images impressed on their sides.
Large lentoid flask. Two handles from shoulder to neck. Mold made in two pieces; wheel-made neck and handles added separately. Decoration in relief on two sides. Side A: cross within circle, with two hares below, one resting forelegs on cross, the other on the enclosing circle, reaching up to eat branches. Side B: two facing geese eating grapes, framed with zig-zags. Preserved height 0.24 m, diameter of body 0.187 m, thickness of flask (back to front) 0.095 m.
COMMENTS
From Byzantine Shop E5 (cf. No. 220). This same shop contained the bronze lamp in the form of a lion, No. 223. Like the plate No. 220 and incense shovel No. 222, the cross on the flask emphasizes its association with Christian practice. This is an unusually large version of a well-known type of small flask or ampulla that was carried by pilgrims and other travelers in Late Antiquity. Written sources mention the protective power of their contents — sanctified earth, oil, or water—as well as the images impressed on their sides.
Files
Collection
Citation
“Flask,” HAA Image Hosting, accessed May 19, 2026, https://haaimagehosting.omeka.fas.harvard.edu/items/show/1248.
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