Unguent jar

This unguent jar was made by a Roman glass-blower in the fifth century to contain ointments (unguents), medicines or cosmetics. It is very light with subtle fluting on its body.

Glass making
Glass making was attempted in most parts of the Roman Empire (from Britain to Egypt) from the first century onwards. With the invention of glass-blowing, glass quickly came to be used for the transport and storage of liquids such as wine, oil, medicines, perfumes, ointments, and essences. Glass vessels became widely available to all levels of society. Consequently, styles like this jar's were commonplace, therefore making it hard to ascribe individual pieces to particular regions. Precise dating is also difficult, since small mould-blown vessels remained in fashion over long periods of time.

Roman glass
A large amount of Roman glass has survived, indicating that vessels such as this jar were mass-produced as important articles of trade throughout the Roman Empire. The achievements of the Roman glass-makers lie behind most of the subsequent phases of the history of glass making in Europe.