Flask

Flasks and small bottles held and transported liquids. The Latin word ampulla described a vessel with a narrow neck and expanded body, not exclusively a soldier's water bottle. Such containers were made from pottery, glass and metal and used on journeys, at home and in the baths, including for oil.

A travelling vessel needed suitable capacity, durability, a closure and a means of attaching it to baggage. A flask in an ancient collection is not by itself evidence of military ownership: civilians used comparable containers.

A metal flask, identified as a laguncula, was found in a sanctuary at Seynod near Annecy. The excavation account lists iron and copper alloy: separate component materials, not an “iron–copper alloy”. Analysis identified mainly millet, with berries, dairy products and conifer resin. Archaeologist Sylvain Motte interprets the contents and sanctuary-pit context as a possible food offering; the exact rite is unknown.

Metal vessels could combine a body, reinforcing plates, handle, lid and fittings of different materials. A chain could connect the lid to the handle to prevent its loss while travelling.

Appearance alone cannot securely establish a flask's contents or purpose. Residues, findspot and the position of the vessel help distinguish the storage of drink or oil from other uses. A closed vessel might have entered the ground through loss, the burial of possessions or a ritual act; a lid or lock does not by itself establish an offering to the gods.

Pottery flasks occur across the ancient world. Their shapes reflected manufacture and carrying arrangements: flattened bodies, handles and suspension holes helped position them against the body or on baggage. Glass bottles represent a different choice of material and setting; not every narrow-necked vessel was intended for travel.

Reconstruction requires a dated example from a known location. Capacity, stopper, suspension and neck position should follow that example. Vessels for oil, drinking water and aromatic substances should not be treated as one universal equipment set merely because their shapes are similar.

Related topics

Ancient military campaigns · Amphora · Calix · Roman baths

Literature and sources

• Seynod canteen: excavation account with comments by archaeologist Sylvain Motte. Archaeology, July/August 2020.
• An excavated ampulla — Pre-Construct Archaeology.
• Martial. Epigrams, 3.82 — a reference to vessels for perfumed oil.
• William Smith (ed.). A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities. 1875, entry Ampulla — a historical reference with citations of ancient texts.