Glass vessels were widely used for serving food or drink. While the most common wares were pottery, glass was considered a luxury item and was used more for entertaining and special occasions, just as fine china and crystal are today. Some scholars have noted that the transparency of glass made food and drink more aesthetically pleasing to the diner. The Roman Stoic philosopher Seneca (c. 4 BC – 65 AD) remarks that “fruits seem more beautiful than they actually are if they are floating in a glass bowl” (Naturales Quaestiones, I.6.5). The types of glass ware included jugs, plates, bowls and cups. Larger jugs were often used for serving wines and water, smaller ones for olive oil. Wine cups could be ornate mold-made vessels that resembled similar ones made of silver, or could have the shape of simple beakers of transparent glass. Bowls and plates came in a variety of decorations and colours. The richer the colours of the glass, which included greens, blues, purples and pinks, the more luxurious the vessel.
Bottles
Bulbous Flask
Syro-Palestinian
original
gift of: the Minden Family
date: c. 2nd - 3rd century AD
provenance: Syro-Palestine
description: Bulbous flask with a funnel-shaped neck, decorated with wheel-cut lines.
Olive-green glass.
Height: 11.5 cm
Diameter: 8.5 cm
Intact, trace iridescence, collection label to base.
Globular Bottle
Syro-Palestinian
original
gift of: the Minden Family
date: c. 4th - 6th century AD
provenance: Syro-Palestine
description: Bottle with a globular body and a short cylindrical neck.
Green glass.
Height: 15 cm
Width: 12.2 cm
Lip is fugitive, present one does not belong (the neck would have originally been longer), iridescence and encrustation.
Twin Handled Amphora
Syro-Palestinian
original
gift of: the Minden Family
date: c. AD late 3rd - 4th century
provenance: Syro-Palestine
description: Amphora with twin handles and trailed decoration to the neck.
Green glass.
Height: 21.5 cm
Diameter 8.8 cm
Intact, single stable crack to the neck, nice iridescence.
Wide Mouthed Jar
Syro-Palestinian
original
gift of: the Minden Family
date: c. 4th century AD
provenance: Syro-Palestine
description: Wide-mouthed jar.
Pale pink/purple glass.
Height: 8.5 cm
Diameter: 8.5 cm
Intact, some encrustation. "189" painted in red to the base.
Round Bottomed Bowl
Round Bottomed Bowl
Islamic
original
gift of: the Minden Family
date: c. 4th - 6th century AD
provenance: Syro-Palestine, Sassanian Period
description: Round-bottomed bowl decorated with wheel-cut facets.
Brownish glass.
Height: 8 cm
Diameter: 10.5 cm
Heavily weathered, rejoined from fragments with large areas of restoration.
Cast Bowls
Pyxis
Syro-Palestinian
original
gift of: the Minden Family
date: c. 8th - 10th century AD
provenance: Syro-Palestine, possibly Iran
description: Heavy squat pyxis/bowl.
Dark green glass.
Height: 4.7 cm
Diameter: 8.8 cm
Intact, label to the base.
Cups
Bag Shaped Jar
Syro-Palestinian
original
gift of: the Minden Family
date: c. 3rd - 4th century AD
provenance: Syro-Palestine
description: Bag-shaped jar with a foot (added).
Pale green glass.
Height: 11 cm
Diameter: 5.8 cm
Intact, foot has been added, encrustation.
Broad Bottomed Beaker
Syro-Palestinian
original
gift of: the Minden Family
date: c. AD 3rd - 4th century
provenance: Syro-Palestine
description: Broad-bottomed beaker with trailed decoration to the neck and base, applied handle likely not beloning.
Pale green glass
Height: 9.5 cm
Diameter: 8 cm (beaker)
Intact, some iridescence, handle appears to belond to another piece, but the body of the beaker is intact.
Footed Beaker
Syro-Palestinian
original
gift of: The Minden Family
date: c. 1st - 2nd century AD
provenance: Syro-Palestine
description: Footed beaker decorated with two wheel-cut lines.
Blue green glass.
Height: 11 cm
Diameter: 6.5 cm
Intact, full iridescence, some encrustation, one stable crack.
Shouldered Jar
Syro-Palestinian
original
gift of: The Minden Family
date: c. 3rd century AD
provenance: Syro-Palestine
description: Single-handled shouldered jar with faint dimpled decoration to top of the shouder and lower neck.
Greenish glass.
Height: 14 cm
Diameter: 11.3 cm
Intact, trace encrustation, old collection label to the base.
Inkwell
Inkwell
Syro-Palestinian
original
gift of: The Minden Family
date: c. 1st - 2nd century AD
provenance: Syro-Palestine
description: Footed, two-handled inkwell.
Dark green glass.
Height: 9.5 cm
Diameter: 7.5 cm
Intact, some iridescence.
Juglets
Globular Juglet
Syro-Palestinian
original
gift of: the Minden Family
date: c. late 3rd - early 4th century AD
provenance: Syro-Palestine
description: Juglet with globular body, tall cylindrical neck, wide, flat lip and loop handle.
Purple glass.
Height: 9.8 cm
Diameter: 7 cm
Intact, iridescence.
Pinched Neck Juglet
Syro-Palestinian
original
gift of: the Minden Family
date: c. 2nd - 3rd century AD
provenance: Syro-Palestine
description: Juglet with a pinched neck and single looped handle.
Pale green glass.
Height:7 cm
Diameter: 5.3 cm
Fugitive gold and white iridescence.
Round Juglet
Syro-Palestinian
original
gift of: the Minden Family
date: c. 3rd - 4th century AD
provenance: Syro-Palestine
description: Single-handled, round-bodied juglet.
Pale pink glass.
Height: 11 cm
Diameter: 8 cm
Intact, nice black and purple iridescence.
Strap-Handled Juglet
Syro-Palestinian
original
gift of: the Minden Family
date: c. 3rd - 4th century AD
provenance: Syro-Palestine.
description: Tall, thin-necked, strap-handled juglet with a bulbous base and trailed decoration to the neck and underside of the lip.
Purple glass.
Height: 20.5 cm
Diameter: 9.2 cm
Intact, some iridescence and encrustation, old collection label attached to the handle.