Instrument with Ring Terminal
| Artist | |
| Name | Unknown |
| Basic Info | |
| Alternative Title | Key (?) |
| Period | Roman Imperial period, Late, to Early Byzantine |
| Created in | Ancient & Byzantine World, Asia, Antioch (Syria) |
| Century | 2nd-6th century |
| Culture | Roman |
| Dimensions | 8.6 x 1 cm, 0.3 cm (3 3/8 x 3/8 in., 1/8 in.) |
| Harvard Museum | |
| Department | Department of Ancient and Byzantine Art & Numismatics |
| Division | Asian and Mediterranean Art |
| Contact | am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu |
Context
The round shaft of this instrument is slightly bent. There is a hole just before its oval tip. A round, flat disc with a large eyelet surmounts the shaft. The exact function of the object is unclear, although comparable objects are known (1). The eyelet may indicate the instrument was part of a set of other tools held on a ring with a set of toilet instruments (2). NOTES: 1. Compare E. Künzl, Medizinische Instrumente aus Sepulkralfunden der römischen Kaiserzeit (Cologne, 1983) 99, fig. 79 (described as a spoon probe); and Los bronces romanos en España, exh. cat., Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia, Palacio de Velazquez (Madrid, 1990) 302-303, nos. 264-65 (described as a perfume remover). 2. Compare a toilet instrument set in the British Museum, inv. no. 1850,0117.46, held together by a similar ringed implement; see H. B. Walters, Catalogue of the Bronzes in the British Museum: Greek, Roman and Etruscan (London, 1899) 3117, no. 2394. David Smart
TechnicalDetails
Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Gift of the Committee for the Excavation of Antioch and its Vicinity