Unguentarium

Unguentarium

Terracotta

An original Roman mourning "tear catcher", for mourners. These small vials were used to catch the tears of the professional mourners who were hired to cry and bemoan the dead at a Roman funeral. The professional mourners were paid according to the quantity of tears held in the vial at the end of the procession, the length of which attested to the importance of the deceased. Found on the Via Appia, eight or nine miles from Rome, in 1955.

Roman

Gift of Mr. G. D. Story, Brisbane, 1992.

27 BC - AD 200

92.010

Gift of Mr G Story, Brisbane, 1992.
Part of the Gordon Story Collection of Ancient Artefacts, Brisbane, 1955-1982.
Collected by Mr G Story, Via Appia, Rome, 1955.