Aryballos (Container for Oil) with Chain
Ancient Roman
50–150
- Medium
- Glass, blown technique, and bronze
- Dimensions
- 7.4 × 7.5 × 7.5 cm (2 7/8 × 3 × 3 in.)
- Genre
- container
- Museum
- Art Institute of Chicago
Tags
vesselglasscontaineraryballosancient artsyrianroman (ancient, style or period)containers
About
Vessels of this sort were used to hold cosmetic oil and were standard accessories for Roman bathing. The bronze chains looped around the user's wrist. In the absence of soap, oil was rubbed onto the skin, and then scraped off with a strigil, an instrument with a curved, blunt blade.
