Serçe Limani, Vol 2: The Glass of an Eleventh-Century Shipwreck

CHAPTER 20: Toiletry Bottles

# C H A P T E R 20 Toiletry Bottles Berta Lledó In the Serçe Limanı glass cargo there were at least 130 toiletry bottles, sometimes called toilet flasks. None was intact or complete (Fig. 20-1 and Pl. 21). They are identified by having cylindrical or very slightly flaring necks, the difference in diameter between the wider mouth and the narrower join at the shoulder ranging from zero to only 6 mm on most vessels, although it is 7 mm on TT 21 and 83, 8 mm on TT 33 and 111, and 9 mm on TT 87. Two main types are differentiated by body shape. Type I are small bottles with globular bodies. The body of Type II is probably cylindrical, with a squared shoulder that forms an approximate 90° angle. Both types seem to have been found in medieval Beirut. The minimum neck height is 1.8 cm and the maximum is 5.5 cm, the most common being 4 cm. The maximum neck diameter , at the mouth, ranges between 1.8 and 3.5 cm, with 3.2 cm the most common. The minimum neck diameter, at the bottom of the neck, ranges between 1.2 and 3.4 cm, with 2.5 cm the most common. Rim thickness ranges between 0.5 and 4 mm, with 2 mm the most common; body thickness ranges between 0.3 and 1.5 mm, with 1 mm the most common. Estimates of body diameters, possible for only a few pieces, range from 4.5 to 11.5 cm. Similarly, bottom/base diameters could be taken from only several pieces and range from 2.5 to 3.4 cm, most of them slightly kicked (2–4 mm). By color the toiletry bottles are 36 yellow-green, 24 purple, 21 green, 15 amber, 2 blue, and 2 blue-green. The majority of the bottles, 60, are of poor-quality glass, 39 are of fair-quality glass with many small bubbles, and only 2 can be considered of good quality. None of the pieces seems to have been carried in the living areas of the ship. A few anomalous fragments found in K, L, M3, or P join pieces from the cargo area, but these almost surely either were airlift spoil or were incorrectly recorded due to damaged or misread labels, as explained in chapter 2. The most common grid locations are N3, N4, O4, and O3 (82 of the fragments of known provenience); the remaining 18 were scattered, by order of frequency, in N5, M3, O6, M4, N6, O5, L4, K3, K4, P4, L2, L3, M6, N7, and O7. Unless stated otherwise in the catalog, rim thickness is 2 mm and wall thickness is 1 mm. Similarly, unless cataloged as being good, the glass quality is either fair, with many small bubbles (TT 2, 10, 11, 14, 21, 28, 31, 32, 35, 39, 40, 43, 48, 50, 51, 52, 55, 60, 63, 65, 67, 68, 70, 75, 76, 79, 81, 86, 87, 88, 94, 96, 98, 100, 102, 103, 104, 106, and 109), or poor with many bubbles and striations. Site provenience is given if known. TYPE I. GLOBULAR BODY Type IA. Undecorated Globular Toiletry Bottles TT 1. Toiletry bottle. Inv. No. GW 1664. Fig. 20-2 (Paola Pugsley). N3. Neck h. 0.032; rim diam. 0.022; rim th. 0.003; wall th. 0.0015; est. max. diam. 0.07. Neck and shoulder. Green. Fig. 20-2. Toiletry bottles. Scale 1:2 TT 1 I ( TT2 TT3 TTl TT20 TT23 TT34 TT40 TT38 TT36 TT43 TT44 toiletry bottles 245 TT 4. Purple with amber swirls; neck h. 0.023; rim diam. 0.021; rim th. 0.0025; wall th. 0.0008; est. max. diam. 0.055; faint, round dimples. N3. TT 5. Light green with purple swirls; neck h. 0.024; max. neck diam. 0.024; rim th. 0.0018; wall th. 0.0005; pattern indeterminable. N3. TT 6. Toiletry bottle. Inv. No. GW 1647. Fig. 20-2 (Paola Pugsley). N3. Neck h. 0.025; rim diam. 0.023; wall th. 0.0015; est. max. diam. 0.05. Light yellow-green. Round and oval dimples. Misshapen neck. TT 7. Toiletry bottle. Inv. No. GW 1820. Fig. 20-2 (Berta Lledó). N4. Neck h. 0.027; rim diam. 0.022; rim th. 0.0015; wall th. 0.001. Light green. Special pattern cannot be identified from the...