A Roman pale blue glass unguentarium toilet bottle with an out-turned rim, relatively long neck which tapers to a narrow body. The bottle has a flattened base. A good-sized inexpensive example.
 
Roman eastern empire: Circa 2nd-3rd Century AD.
 
Condition: Much of the surface covered with a thin layer of calcareous encrustation, otherwise complete and intact, with a few patches of iridescence.
Height 12 cms (4.7 ins).
 
Provenance: The R.K. collection of ancient glass, UK. purchased 2006 from a London dealership
 
Glass was produced in large numbers in the later Roman Empire. It was used to produce items of everyday use, for keeping expensive unguents and cosmetic oils which would have been gathered from all corners of the expansive Roman Empire.
 
See our blog post on Roman glass