Glass, vessel, phial

This is a unique Roman glass vial, which has a natural greenish colour and has been decorated with zig-zag lines. It was one of several high status grave-goods which had been placed outside the stone sarcophagus of a young Italian woman's elaborate burial at Spitalfields.

The lower part of the narrow cylindrical phial has two 'bulbs' at the lower end, and a constriction between the terminal and cylindrical body. It is 230mm long, approximately 2mm thick and is 20mm in diameter at the plain glass, and 30mm at the decorated glass portions. The body of the phial continues down to the base of the lower terminal, and phial has three zones of decoration along the stem. The lowest two are zig-zag trails, butted either side by a single trail around the circumference of the stem, and further up there is a single trail. The lower zone of zig-zag trails covers the second 'bulb'. The body of the phial is broken above the single trail, and the shape of its mouth and rim is unknown. The jet rod and disc (<295> <296>) were probably used as a 'dip stick' for this vessel. No British or European parallels have been discovered for this vessel. Zig-zag trails are typical of late Roman, Germanic styles of glassware decoration.

This grave-good was part of the unique and elaborate 4th century CE burial of a young Italian woman at Spitalfields. Within the cemetery, her burial was marked by a wooden vault, under which had been buried a plain stone sarcophagus - outside, at the eastern end of the sarcophagus this glass vessel, a jet rod and disc, a jet pin and ring, and a stone canister had been placed.

Within the sarcophagus, two glass vessels had been placed outside of the lead coffin. This was decorated with a scallop shell and cable design. Inside lay the embalmed body of the young woman - her body had been rubbed with pine and pistachio tree resins. Her head rested on a pillow of bay leaves and the bottom of the coffin had been covered by a woollen cloth. She wore a damask silk tunic, decorated with a band of purple wool and gold thread. Although her burial is unique in London, it is very similar to 4th century examples from Germany.