Ancient Greek Hellenistic Fusiform Unguentarium Spindle. — Late 4th to Early 3rd Century BCE. — Repaired at the neck. — Approximately 5 inches in length. — Pottery unguentarium in Red Slip Ware ; wheel-made; fusiform body with long, narrow neck widening to an everted mouth with chamfered rim; solid base widening to a bulbous swelling and a ring foot; no handles; made of buff clay with a matt red slip; heavy calcination over the surface. — An unguentarium, also referred to as Balsamarium, Lacrimarium or tears vessel, is a small ceramic or glass bottle found frequently by archaeologists at Hellenistic and Roman sites, especially in cemeteries. Its most common use was probably as a container for oil, though it is also suited for storing and dispensing liquid and powdered substances. Some finds date into the early Christian era.
