ampulla
- Museum number
- 1877,0802.3
- 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 has curly hair, wears a short tunic and high boots, and is flanked by camels. On side (b), within a wreath, is a cross on a raised disc at the centre, surrounded by a relief inscription. The mouth and handles are largely lost. Buff clay, with some sand inclusions and a little mica.
- Production date
- 480-650 (circa)
- Dimensions
-
Height: 2.50 inches
- $Inscriptions
-
- Curator's comments
- Terracotta IV
Purchased: Greville J. Chester. Acquired in Alexandria.
Late Roman, about AD 480-650.
Comparanda: Sides (a) and (b): close: Dutilh 1904: pls 1 and 2, figs 9 and 10, from Alexandria; Metzger 1981: no. 96, dated sixth to seventh century AD. Near: Metzger 1981: nos 49 and 50, respectively from Alexandria and Smyrna and nos 51-3, dated sixth to seventh century AD.
Side (a): close: Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge, e.p.345. Near: Kiss 1989a: nos 26 and 27, from Kom el-Dikka, Alexandria, context of AD 560-610; Witt 2000: no. 33, side A, dated end of fifth to mid-seventh century AD.
Side (b): close, but turned more anticlockwise: von Falck and Lichtwark 1996: 163, no. 138b, dated end of fifth to middle of seventh century AD. Near: Witt 2000: nos 31-3, side B, dated end of fifth to mid-seventh century AD.
- Location
- Not on display
- Acquisition date
- 1877
- Department
- Britain, Europe and Prehistory
- Registration number
- 1877,0802.3
