Semitic Museum No. 1995.10.1057
Glass Unguentarium
Date: Roman

Form: Tubular miniature unguentarium also known as an elongated pear-shaped unguentarium or vial. Constricted neck, body widening toward flattened bottom with slight concavity, fire-rounded and flattened rim.

Fabric: Pale blue/green glass.

Decoration: None.

Technical/Manufacturing: Free-blown glass. Slight concavity in bottom may indicate that the puntil mark was ground off, and see Form above.

Remarks: Provenance unknown. Early Roman. Pale blue/green glass similar to the color found in Syria-Palestine. This object could be a Syrian import or manufactured in Cyprus from Syrian glass, according to Joanna Abdullah, September 1999. This form of unguentarium was often called a "tear bottle" in literature of the past, as it was thought to have contained tears shed by the relatives of the deceased. This is now considered a misnomer.

• Publication: Webster 1986:148, No. 2120, reference to SCE IV:3 below.
• Comparanda SM: 1995.10.1078 for a similar color of glass.
• Comparanda Elsewhere: SCE IV:3:129 (note 2); 165; 205 and Fig.50,24. The present author feels that Fig.50,22 is a better parallel.