MEDIEVAL VESSEL

1100

A copper-alloy miniature vessel. It measures 34.16mm in height and has a rounded base; it is generally globular in shape with a very short neck and two parallel integral loop handles. It measures 27.61mm in diameter at its widest point and has an external rim diameter of 17.20mm. There is a small irregular oval hole through thevessel near the base, which appears to have been created due to wear and there are traces of possible solder around this. The vessel has a black patina and the metalwork is worn. The vessel weighs 30.58g.Faye Minter has recorded a very similar flask, see SF-CFDD82, from which the following paragraph is taken:There are about 20 parallels on the PAS database as of 2011. It was initially thought (Geoff Egan, pers. comm.) that they may have been mercury flasks, but the find of SUR-FA2AB0, with the inscription OLEVM CHRISM, suggested a new interpretation as a flask for holy oil. This find was published in Medieval Archaeology 48 (2004), and from the style of the lettering was tentatively dated to before c. 1200 AD.Examples of parallels recorded on the Portable Antiquities Scheme database include SF4470, SF10638, LVPL-5646E7, LVPL-EC3F40, LANCUM-6DA432 and SOMDOR-446A83.