Glass pouring vessels from the Roman-era Relja necropolis in Zadar

摘要

The text contains an analysis of glass bird-shaped droppers. The recipients were found during recent archaeological research in the territory of the Roman-era necropolis known as “Relja” in Zadar. These are items characterized by spherical or ovoid shaped bodies with longer or shorter cylindrical necks. The vial’s body features a narrow tubular spout (a stylized bird’s tail) which served to pour liquids in measured doses. Based on the appearance of their recipients and their purpose, these pouring vessels have been divided into two typological groups (spouted spherical bottles [baby feeders] and ovoid droppers). According to the dating of the grave units in which they were found and based on close analogies, the examples can be said to belong to the period from the late first to mid-third centuries. Besides these unpublished examples from the Zadar necropolis, a guttus is also published here which originated in the wider Zadar area, although its exact discovery site is not known. The origin of the spherical and ovoid pouring vessels are sought in the eastern glass workshops.