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Description: | Medieval lead alloy ampulla, late 12th to the 15th century. The ampulla or flask is subcircular in plan with a rectangular neck section. The object is hollow but the walls have been pinched together and squashed. A single loop on one side of the body has also survived but has also been squashed. One side has a crescent shaped design running along the bottom and up the sides of the ampulla, within which is a series of small diagonal lines. The decoration of the other side consists of a fleur-de-lis. The surfaces of the ampulla are abraded with a creamy patina but some silver grey has survived. It measures 45.68mm in length, 29.54mm in width, is 5.56mm thick and weighs 31.66g. Examples of ampullae can be seen in Spencer, 1990, Salisbury & South Wiltshire Museum Medieval Catalogue, part 2, page 57-62 and 85-92, examples 127-146.An ampulla is a miniature flask or phial that carried holy water dispensed to pilgrims at shrines and holy wells, and are basically a pilgrim souvenir. They could be suspended and worn around the pilgrim's neck, or hung up in houses and barns. The water within them may have been in contact with a relic associated with different Saints, and the designs on the ampullas often reflected the figure or relic they were associated with.
Original Image | Publisher: | http://finds.org.uk | Source: | Portable Antiquities | Identifier: | http://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/r... | Go to resource |
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