Polish Archaeology in the Mediterranean (15.2003(2004))

ALEXANDRIA

EGYPT

TWO ROMAN TOILET BOTTLES
FROM KOM EL-DIKKA

Renata Kucharczyk

The glass from Kom el-Dikka consists of
a large amount of fragments ranging in
date from the Roman until the Islamic
period. Work on this assemblage has been
ongoing for the past few years and it is
arduous. Intact vessels are rare on this site;
hence, in many cases a comparative study
of vessel shape is the only chance.
Thus, the recent discovery of two
almost complete toilet bottles came as an
unexpected delight. The vessels were
found in the underground corridors of the

Bath service area, in thick ashy deposits
originating from the furnaces.Their
findspot leaves no doubt as to their
function. Toilet bottles, which were used
for kohl, bath oils, sweet-scented essences
but foremost for perfume, form a large
group of glass vessels, distinguished by
a great variety of forms and shapes. The
volume of toilet container production was
relatively small, compared to other goods,
yet it made up an important part of the
Roman glass industry.

MOULD-BLOWN JANUS HEAD FLASK

Under the Roman Empire, the intro-
duction of moulds on a much wider scale
than ever before constituted a major step in
the development of the industry. These
small devices allowed for quick manu-
facture of a great number of vessels. At the
same time, the mold-blown technique
gave the opportunity to create many
different shapes. Among the new wares
there were flasks in the form of fish,
bunches of grapes and dates. One of the
most popular types of newly introduced
form was a toilet bottle in the shape of
a human head, often facing two ways,
Janus-fashion.
The flask from Kom el-Dikka (Fig. 1:A)
is of translucent, pale yellowish-amber

glass, with slight iridescence outside.
Intact. H. 6.9 cm. D. 4 cm.
The body of this piece is decorated with
two identical chubby youthful faces, back
to back. The hair around both faces is
arranged in knobby locks, covering the
ears; cheeks are knobby, too. It was blown
in a two-part mold of two vertical sections,
probably open at the base. The mold was
not well executed. The cylindrical neck
with a constriction marking the top of the
mould, has a horizontal rim, folded out-
ward, inward and then flattened. Base
plain, flattened, no pontil mark.
The flask, which is attributed to Isings
form 78b,1 2) is traditionally attributed to
Syro-Palestinian workshops. This very

1) W. Kol^taj, Imperial Bath at Kom el-Dikka (Warsaw 1992), 82-85, Plans V and XIII.
2) C. Isings, Roman Glass from Dated Finds (Jakarta 1957), 93-94.

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