Glass and Perfume
Perfumes and precious liquids were generally luxury items that people owned in small amounts due to the expense. As such, the containers for these perfumes and precious liquids were often small and could range from plain clay bottles to beautiful ornate glass or alabaster containers. In this display are a variety of glass containers that would have been used to hold perfumes and precious liquids. On the bottom shelf are examples of plain clay bottles. Alongside these are examples of some of the types of materials used to make perfumes, which were generally oil-based. To give fragrance, ancient people used either plant-based materials (such as spices, resins, or flowers) or animal-based materials (such as musk or other glandular oils). Finally, once again driving home how precious these materials were, the small weight is displayed to show the small amounts that were generally bought by a customer.
Artifacts on Display:
Fusiform Unguentarium
Date: Roman Period (c. 1st century BC - 4th century AD)
Provenance: unknown
Composition: glass
Collection: LCA Permanent CollectionPointed Unguentarium
Date: Roman Period (c. 1st century BC - 4th century AD)
Provenance: unknown
Composition: glass
Collection: LCA Permanent CollectionTube Unguentarium
Date: Roman-Byzantine Period (c. 1st century BC - 15th century AD)
Provenance: unknown
Composition: glass
Collection: LCA Permanent CollectionPhoenician Glass Alabastron
Date: 6th-5th century BC
Provenance: unknown
Composition: glass
Collection: LCA Permanent CollectionBalsamarium
Date: Roman Period (c. 1st - 5th century AD)
Provenance: unknown
Composition: glass
Collection: LCA Permanent CollectionUnguentarium
Date: Roman Period (c. 1st century BC - 4th century AD)
Provenance: unknown
Composition: glass
Collection: LCA Permanent CollectionFlask
Date: Roman Period (c. 1st century BC - 4th century AD)
Provenance: unknown
Composition: glass
Collection: Patterson CollectionUnguentarium
Date: Roman Period (c. 1st century BC - 4th century AD)
Provenance: unknown
Composition: glass
Collection: Patterson CollectionBottle
Date: Roman Period (c. 1st century BC - 4th century AD)
Provenance: unknown
Composition: glass
Collection: LCA Permanent CollectionUnguentarium
Date: Roman Period (c. 1st century BC - 4th century AD)
Provenance: unknown
Composition: glass
Collection: LCA Permanent CollectionSprinkler Flask
Date: Roman Period (c. 1st century BC - 4th century AD)
Provenance: unknown
Composition: glass
Collection: Patterson CollectionWeight
Date: c. 1500-1000 BC
Provenance: Phoenicia
Composition: bronze
Collection: on loan from Dr. Randy HuffinesCinnamon
Date: modern
Provenance: USA
Composition: cinnamon
Collection: LCA CollectionOlive Oil
Date: modern
Provenance: USA
Composition: olives
Collection: LCA CollectionSpindle Bottle
Date: possibly Hellenistic or Roman Period (c. 4th century BC - 4th century AD)
Provenance: unknown
Composition: clay
Collection:Unguentarium
Date: possibly Hellenistic or Roman Period (c. 4th century BC - 4th century AD)
Provenance: unknown
Composition: clay
Collection: LCA Permanent Collection