Biography of Rock-Crystal Amphora Cosmetic-Jar (Unguentarium) in the Roman Period

罗马时期水晶双耳香膏瓶（Unguentarium）的器物传记

This article presents a biographical study of a colourless crystal glass amphora (unguentarium) from the Roman Imperial period, taking as its point of departure a rock-crystal exemplar in the British Museum dated to the 1st–2nd centuries AD. Through a synthesis of archaeological evidence, ancient textual sources, and comparative technological studies, the research reconstructs the chaîne opératoire of colourless crystal glass production—from primary glass manufacture and the selection of low-iron silica, to decolourisation using antimony or manganese, and finally to secondary workshop forming through blowing, tooling, and cold-working. Although no direct technical treatises survive for the production of crystal-glass amphorae, parallels from free-blown and mould-blown assemblages allow a plausible reconstruction of their manufacturing sequence. Two case studies provide contextual grounding: (1) the cosmetic and medical vessels recovered from the Insula of the Menander at Pompeii, which demonstrate the integration of unguentaria into domestic hygiene regimes; and (2) the exceptional quartz-crystal unguentarium discovered in the Carmona funerary chamber (Seville), whose sealed context and residue analysis indicate a high-value aromatic substance, likely patchouli. These examples reveal the dual domestic and ritual biographies of such vessels.Drawing on Latin literary sources, including Ovid, Pliny, and Galen, the study further situates crystal-glass unguentaria within Roman debates on luxury, bodily care, and the blurred boundaries between cosmetics, perfumes, and medicines. The biography of this object type thus illuminates broader dynamics of craft innovation, sensory culture, and social identity in Roman material practice.

本文以大英博物馆收藏的一件年代为公元1—2 世纪的岩晶范例为起点，对罗马帝国时期的一件无色水晶玻璃双耳瓶（unguentarium）进行器物传记式研究。通过综合考古证据、古代文献资料与比较技术研究，文章重构了无色水晶玻璃的生产链条（chaîne opératoire）：从初级玻璃的制造与低铁硅砂的选择，到使用锑或锰进行脱色，再到二级工坊通过吹制、工具整形与冷加工完成成型。尽管没有关于水晶玻璃双耳瓶生产的直接技术文献保存至今，自由吹制与模吹器物群组的类比材料使其制造流程的合理重建成为可能。文章选取两项案例研究作为情境支持：（1）庞贝曼南德之家（Insula of the Menander）出土的化妆与医疗容器，展示了双耳小瓶在家庭卫生体系中的融合；（2）塞维利亚卡尔莫纳（Carmona）墓室中发现的精美石英晶体双耳瓶，其密封环境与残留物分析表明其中存放的是高价值芳香物质，可能为广藿香。这些例证揭示了此类器物在日常生活与仪式实践中的双重传记。结合拉丁文献，包括奥维德、普林尼与盖伦，研究进一步将水晶玻璃双耳瓶置于罗马社会关于奢侈、身体护理以及化妆品、香料与药物之间边界模糊性的论辩之中。此类器物的传记因而照亮了罗马物质实践中更广泛的工艺创新、感官文化与社会身份动态。