Art Institute of Chicago (Egyptian) · vessel
Alabastron (Container for Scented Oil)
Description
Before soap was invented, scented oils were used for bathing or perfume and stored in vials like this one. This early Egyptian example was carved from alabaster, a translucent stone that is plentiful in Egypt. Through trade the Greeks obtained and then copied the shape in colored glass or clay, calling the shape an “alabastron,” after the stone used for the vessels. Because they were considered very personal belongings, alabastrons were often buried with their owners and have been found frequently in tombs.
Cross-references (1)
- ARTIC-id 136427 tier-2
About this record's data
- From the source institution — accession, description, dimensions, and dating are as catalogued by Art Institute of Chicago (Egyptian).
- AI-inferred — the image-analysis panel (deities, names, signs) is machine-generated and may be wrong.
- Approximate location — most map points are plotted at the site centroid, not the exact findspot.
- Inferred links — cross-references marked with a match method other than explicit-source-field were matched by us, not stated by the source.