Conical glass vessels from Karanis: Function and meaning in a Pagan/Christian context in rural Egypt. (Volumes I and II).

Conical glass vessels are documented as artifacts from sites dated between the third and fifth centuries AC, in lands from Roman Britain to Mesopotamia. Such vessels are referred to and depicted in late antique, early Christian and medieval texts into the twelfth century. This dissertation examines these vessels from an archaeological, textual and art historical perspective. It studies their chronological limits, functions, and sites of production as well as their practical and symbolic importance in the Mediterranean milieu. It focuses on the over 600 conical glass vessels and fragments excavated at the Graeco-Roman site of Karanis, Egypt. An interpretive overview of the artistic representations and textual allusions to conical vessels are presented. A discussion of the archaeological contexts of conical vessels excavated at sites other than Karanis follows. The Karanis material is examined using computer data base systems to collate specific features of each object. Physical characteristics of Karanis conical vessels are described. Techniques and possible sites of manufacture are suggested. Dated coins, ostraca, papyri, pottery and other objects found with each conical vessel are examined to suggest contextual and chronological patterns for conical vessels at Karanis. These explorations suggest the functions served by the conical glass vessels. The results of neutron activation studies on the chemical composition of Karanis glass are presented. These results are compared to those from other sites to determine if Karanis glass was imported. Light emission studies are presented. These studied the comparative brightness of lighted conical glass vessels to that of terracotta oil lamps to explore possible economic factors related to their production. Results indicate that conical glass vessels appeared no earlier than the late third century and were found at Karanis into the mid to late fifth century. Most of these vessels were probably produced locally. At Karanis and other sites they functioned as oil lamps and as drinking beakers but were supplanted by other glass forms by the late fifth century. The comingling of domestic life and religious ritual suggested by the contexts of the Karanis finds may be an indication of the shift from one religious belief structure to another.Ph.D.ArchaeologyCommunication and the ArtsFine artsSocial SciencesUniversity of Michigan, Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studieshttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/128520/2/9023564.pd