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Description: | A lead alloy ampulla which is complete though slightly squashed. The ampulla is medieval and is 54.7mm long, 40.1mm wide and 15.3mm thick. The neck flares slightly towards the top. The body of the vessel is semi-circular. On one face the body is moulded like a scallop shell. The neck on this face is plain. On the other side the body is marked with a zig-zag line in a stripe round the edge, a hatched band within that, and then another single raised line with an M in the middle, though not central. The neck is decorated with a waffle iron pattern. There is a looped handle on each side of the neck, both of which are complete. The top is not crimped shut, and is hardly damaged. Ampullae are small containers to hold holy water purchased by or given to pilgrims at shrines. They came into use in the last quarter of the twelfth century and were very popular in the thirteenth century though they continued in use until the fifteenth. The scallop shell is the symbol of St. James of Compostela, but is also the emblem of all pilgrims and was used at many shrines (Spencer 1990). The M might stand for Mary.
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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