Description

Herodian Perfume Bottle- Second Temple Period Pottery.

This unique bottle (Unguentarium) dates back to the first century BC – second century AD (10 BC to 130 AD approximately). This period includes the days of Jesus Christ during King Herod’s reign and the days of the Jews’ rebellions against the Roman Empire.
This period, which is the end of the Second Temple period, was a defining period in the history of the Holy Land: during this period the land reached its heyday, Jerusalem was an important holy city for the Jewish people with the Temple at its center, and spiritual life reached its peak. This period is also characterized by the emergence of sects and currents within Judaism (including the Essene sect of Qumran). It’s against this reality that Jesus appeared as a spiritual leader and Savior, in the first decades of the first century AD.
The material culture of the Holy Land during this period was influenced by Roman styles, but it seems to have been adapted to local Jewish perceptions. Most of the pottery used by the Jewish population during this period is characterized by a lack of decorative element, which is in keeping with Jewish law.
This Unguentarium, also known as “pear-shaped” due to its shape, was made of high-grade clay, and also lacks a figurative decoration. It has an elongated neck and a simple flaring rim, a pear body, and a flat base. In the upper part of the vessel, slightly below the rim, there are remnants of painting intended to give the vessel a more luxurious appearance, but in accordance with the beliefs of the people of the time, as mentioned above.
This vessel was designed to store expensive liquids, probably oils which were important to store safely. It was in common use during the time of Jesus, in the household of the people of Judea.
Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume John 12:13

Bottles of this type were found at a variety of sites in the late Second Temple period, such as in Qumran, Jerusalem and the entire Judean region. It is a typical and distinct ancient vessel for this period, presenting the way of life of the people of Judah during the period of Jesus Christ and King Herod.