Details

COLEM:1923.4399

Colchester Collections

pot, feeding bottle, tettina

Globular ceramic feeding bottle of buff colour fabric with short, straight spout and no handle. There are two groves decorated around the base of the neck. ‘Feeding bottles’, also known as tettinae, are an unusual Roman vessel that usually have a small, upward pointing spout and handle. They are commonly ceramic and come in a range of fabrics but can also be made of glass. They have been found in burials of children but remain slightly mysterious. Although they are often interpreted as feeding bottles for infants, others have argued that they are lamp-fillers or feeders for the sick. Future work on the Colchester collection hopes to involve specialists in undertaking residue analysis, a scientific technique that analyses the residues that have absorbed into the pot, especially lipids. Additional scientific techniques can be used to distinguish between dairy products or animal fats/vegetable oils, which would hopefully solve the mystery of these vessels’ function.

Roman

ceramic, buff ware

height: 82.50 mm
rim diameter: 26.50
body diameter: 63.60 mm
base diameter: 31.50
spout length: 11.00 mm

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