Roman glass urn - used for cremation
After centuries of burying corpses, in 600 BC the Romans started to follow the Greek tradition of cremating the dead.
The ancient cremation ceremonies were rituals based on beliefs and traditions. This is why the breath of the dying had to be captured, the dead person covered with scent and borne out of the house feet first. A coin was placed in his mouth to enable him to be carried by the ferryman Charon over the River Styx and into the Underworld. During the cremation, wailing was not to be silenced and the goddess of funerals, Libitinia, kept vigil so that no ill befell the living.
The columbarium and the Roman glass urn
After the ashes had been doused with wine and the bones removed, they were placed in a glass or ceramic urn in a grave or altar shaped tomb.
The poor had to make do with a columbarium, a form of social housing for life after death that they financed with monthly payments during their lifetime.
- Entirely hand crafted
- Includes lid
Roman glass urn amongst finds in Cologne
Roman urns are familiar burial finds but sometimes items are discovered by chance, for example between 2004 and 2011 some spectacular finds from Roman times AD were unearthed during the rebuilding of the underground in Cologne. These are now in the Roman-German museum. Glass from this period was mouth blown, transparent and mass-produced.
Cremation ended at the beginning of the fifth century AD because it didn’t conform to the Christian image of eternal life. At the same time, wood for burning was in short supply in the Mediterranean and so burial became the norm again.
Roman glass urn with lid
The beautiful Roman glass urn with lid is mouth blown and produced in an Italian factory.
The antique model for the urn dates from between the second and third century AD.
Precious glass in a sea blue colour makes the Roman glass urn a beautiful, decorative object. The two handles are particularly attractive.
Glass collectors and lovers of Roman glass will free up a special space for this item.
The Roman glass urn is eye catching and an aesthetic joy.
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