Unguentarium

As unguentarium, balsamarium or Lacrimarium a small, Roman bottles or amphorenförmiges ointment jar of glass or ceramic is referred to in archeology, which corresponds in appearance in about a modern bottle. Larger vessels are called ampulla unguenti.

In such vessels usually medical or cosmetic ointments or similar substances were stored. In ancient balm arias were often used as grave goods. A special form of unguentarium is the aryballos. Aryballoi were vessels with one or two handles, which are intended specifically for the storage of bath oils and go back to a Greek origin.

The name comes from the Latin word unguentum for ointments, or of balsamum for balm. ( The tear Latin Lacrimarium; , from lacrima ) used in the older literature was often also the popular term ointment box, bottle or tears tears vial. This research historically traditional expression was not until the 19th century using and goes back to the mistaken assumption that the mourning their dead Romans collected in their shed tears for the deceased and then, the dead to the grave.

After this popular name be named as tears bottles even a few centimeters high terracotta jars which are found in large numbers on Mars Lenus - Mart sanctuary on the mountain. These vessels were made for purely ritual purposes and had no practical function. You can be hollow or solid and were sacrificed on the Martberg. To this end, the tears bottles were smashed by the Dedikanten.

Not least because of the appearance of Nero by Peter Ustinov in the epic film Quo Vadis? ( " Tigellinus, my tears glass !") Is now also popular, especially in the media, the term glass tears. Most often associated with pictorial ( and ironic ) reports tearful or sentimental events, is then, for example, stated that it had offered to submit tears glass to collect the tears.