Details

COLEM:JOS.220

Colchester Collections

pot, feeding bottle, tettina

Biconical feeding bottle with flat base and no neck. Upper part decorated in moulded relief. Spout set on carination. Clay soft buff, probably San Remy or allied ware; no traces of glaze ‘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.

1940 - 1950

Roman

ceramic, St Remy ware

height: 60.00 mm
diameter: 90.00 mm