Acetabulum (cup)

Acetabulum ( " Essignäpfchen ", from the Latin Acetum, vinegar, Greek ὀξύβαφον ) was a small Roman table vessel for storing vinegar and honey.

Form and use

Acetabula could be made of metal, glass or ceramic. From Ulpian they are mentioned among the silver vessels. They usually had a narrow edge with a wide opening and expanded chalice- like ( "strangled wall "). Acetabula of Samian ware are in the 1st century AD in the vessel forms Dragendorff 24, 25 and 27 before. They are in the 2nd century of the conical bowl drag. 33 replaced. Larger specimens of the same vessel form were called Paropsis.

At dinner they served the storage of vinegar from the diners to season the food and beverages ( posca ) or was used for purification in the manner of today's finger bowl, and of honey. Use they found in a similar way in the kitchen cooking. Acetabula could also be used for other things, such as for melting wax. In Apicius, the vessel is also called as a heating vessel. The wells were of relatively small size.

Could also be referred to as the acetabulum generally a vessel. Seneca called the acetabulum the cup of sleight of hand. Furthermore, an ancient volumetric measure was referred to (see acetabulum ( volume measure ) ), this had a capacity of about 0,068 liters. According to the characteristic shape of various cavities were named in animals, such as the acetabulum. This happened already in Roman times, the first time in the natural history of the elder Pliny.

Terra sigillata acetabulum (Form Dragendorff 27, front right) and Einhenkelkrug ( Niederbieber 27) from Novaesium.