alabaster container

MAC GIR-000841

Object type alabastron

Culture/period Colonisations

Materials alabaster

Technique carving

Mint

Production date -700 / -301

Museum Museu d'Arqueologia de Catalunya - Girona

Current location MASPG

Archaeological site Empúries

Township Escala, l' (Europa, Espanya, Catalunya, Girona, Alt Empordà)

Dimensions 160 x 150 x 53 (Ø); 33,5 x 67 (Ø) mm

Description

Alabaster from the site of Empúries (L'Escala, Alt Empordà). It has a flat and wide mouth, ellipsoidal section and concave base and two small nipple handles. It has no decoration. This type of containers used to contain cosmetics such as scented oils and ointments. Of wide chronology, they are found between the 7th and 4th centuries BC. While alabaster products came mainly from the Eastern Mediterranean (probably from Egypt), in Athens they were made in ceramics decorated with black figures. They naturally kept the name of alabaster in memory of their distant eastern relatives.

Omeka ID 3148