CIRCA 1ST CENTURY B.C. - 1ST CENTURY A.D.

Amphoriskoi in semi-precious stones or rock crystal were very much sought after in the Hellenistic and Roman worlds. As symbols of wealth and opulence, they were treasured and passed down generations and perhaps also given as diplomatic gifts, hence their repeated discovery in the fact that many are found in royal tombs. For similar cf. 'Banded agate amphoriskos', The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, inv. no. 2001.253 and for similar in rock crystal cf. H. -P. Bohler, Antike Gefäße aus Edelsteinen, Zabern, 1973, p. 56, nos 56 and 57.