ampulla
- Museum number
- 1876,1014.8
- Description
-
Ampulla; clay; flat, circular sides with designs in relief. On side (a), within a plain border, Saint Menas stands to front, his arms outstretched in blessing. Above each arm is a cross. He wears a short tunic and a long cloak, and is flanked by camels. On side (b), within a border of studs, is a scalloped 'star', with a stud in each scallop, and a small stud in each interior point; at the centre is a circle enclosing a stud. The mouth and handles are largely missing.
- Production date
- 480-650 (circa)
- Dimensions
-
Height: 2.75 inches
- Curator's comments
- Terracotta IV
Purchased: Greville J. Chester. Acquired in Egypt.
Late Roman, about AD 480-650.
Comparanda: Side (a): near: Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, no. E3803; Heide and Thiel 2004: 143, no. iii.3.14, dated end of fifth to middle of seventh century AD; Kiss 1989a: nos 17 and 21, from Kom el-Dikka, Alexandria, context of AD 560-610; Witt 2000: no. 25, from Abu Mena, dated end of fifth to mid-seventh century AD.
Side (b): Close: Abd el-Fattah 2001: 37, fig. 2.44, from Gabbari, Alexandria.
- Location
- Not on display
- Acquisition date
- 1876
- Department
- Britain, Europe and Prehistory
- Registration number
- 1876,1014.8
