Abstract:

Vessels to contain oils, ointments or balms are recorded in contexts dating mainly in the first centuries of the Roman Empire, and are associated with one, or more frequently, a pair of strigiles corresponding to bathing implements that are designated in written sources as strigiles et ampulla (olearia). Aryballoi and bathing paterae are also recorded in male environments, thermal baths and palaestrae linked to athletic activity, as well as in contexts of domestic toilette or personal hygiene. This study presents 50 new documents that expand on previous research from 2021. The result is an assemblage of vessels that shed light on the diversity and richness of forms of the bathing service and items of personal hygiene, as well as on their chronology based on the context of their discovery and comparisons with other foreign documents.