400-600
Terracotta
Overall: 6.7 x 7.2 cm (2 5/8 x 2 13/16 in.)
Gift of Bruce Ferrini in memory of Robert P. Bergman 1999.233
These flasks bear the image of Saint Menas, an early martyr of the Christian Church whose shrine was in the desert southwest of Alexandria in Egypt. These flasks were probably used by pilgrims to hold oil taken from the lamp that burned over this saint's tomb. Probably manufactured near the shrine, pilgrim's flasks often bear decorations hinting at their place of origin, as is the case here.
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