Terracotta scent-bottle in the form of a warrior's head

Greek, about 600-550 BC
Said to be from Kamiros, Rhodes, Aegean Sea

Large quantities of small scent-bottles were made on the island of Rhodes between about 600 and 540 BC. Helmeted heads were one of the most popular forms; female busts, human legs and feet, a variety of animals and even cockle shells are also found. Large numbers of these bottles have been found on Rhodes itself, but many were exported over long distances, sometimes as far west as southern Italy and Sicily.

The bottles were usually made in two moulds, front and back, with the mouth of the bottle made separately on a wheel. They were decorated in the same way as contemporary pottery, with solutions of dilute clay (slip). Because these were added before firing, the colours are often very well preserved.