Unguentary

Glass ointment jar with a globular or spherical body with a concave base, a long cylindrical neck and a convex edge with a smooth profile. The neck, clearly differentiated from the belly, presents a slight deviation with respect to its vertical axis, creating a perceptible lateral dimorphism that is most evident at the edge of the mouth. Carefully crafted, it is translucent and has a bluish-green hue.

The discovery of blown glass for the production of containers, in the middle of the 1st century BC. In Syria, it led to the appearance of numerous containers made with this technique, initially copying metal types and thin walls, which sometimes replaced other tableware. Its manufacture in the Iberian Peninsula is documented in the second half of the 1st century AD. and, in the area in question, Caesaraugusta, the use of said technology is attested between 50 and 60 AD.

Their use as containers for perfumes and essences sometimes made it necessary to extend the neck of the container in order to dose the substances; Sometimes, in addition, they were sealed to store the content and prevent it from spilling, so to use its contents the neck had to be broken, which is why some specimens have reached us with a fractured rim and neck.

Ointment jars, also called balsamaries, are quite common pieces in the Roman world and their shapes, color and quality have been evolving; The globular typology of these pieces appears around the time of Tiberius and Claudius, with the belly section being oval (narrower towards the neck, pear-shaped). In the 4th century, a model became widespread in which the exvasated development of the mouth (funnel-shaped) stood out.

This type of glass containers are also common in the Islamic era in the Iberian Peninsula. The specific typology of this piece, characterized by a globular body but flattened at its junction with the neck, suggests its belonging to this cultural stage.