Details

COLEM:1926.5250

Colchester Collections

bottle, rectangular bottle, inscription

Rectangular bottle (from G4) of dark blue-green glass. It would originally have had two angular three-ribbed handles, attached at shoulders on narrow sides, and beneath rim, but one is now missing. On the base of the bottle are the relief moulded letters ‘CCV’. Such basal marks refer to the manufacturers of bottles and their location. It has been suggested that CCV might mean Colonia Claudia Vitricensis, and that the bottle would have been made in Colchester. However, this precise name of the town is not attested in other inscriptions and several other interpretations have been suggested.Colchester Museums curate one of the best collections of Roman glass in the country, especially of the first century AD thanks to Boudica’s rebellion and destruction of the town. The Romans used glass to manufacture a huge range of objects, from bottles, bowls and bath flasks, to hairpins, gaming counters and even windowpanes. In the early period glass vessels were imported into Britain but, from the second half of the first century AD, glass was also made here. The development of glass blowing techniques meant that certain items could be produced cheaply and in large quantities. Glass is often thought to be rare from the Roman world, because it is so fragile, but the main reason for its rarity is because it was recycled throughout the Roman period.

0100 - 0170

Roman

height: 180.00 mm
width: 120.00 mm
diameter: 60.00 mm