Ancient Roman jar riddled with mystery

Originally posted by Phage
Washing machine.
Load it with laundry and lower it into the base of a waterfall for agitation.

A. It would brake if it got battered against a rock.

B. Netting would be more practical for that purpose.

It's for making tea.

Phage cant make a joke.

My thought? Old school salad spinner.

Originally posted by Shane
I saw this item, and did not find it was discussed in here at all. It is curious, but it can not be that hard to figure out what it was used for.

Tiny holes suggest bizarre possibilities, but continue to stump researchers

I have made planters using the same design - Perfect for strawberries btw...........seriously

you could submerge the whole thing in boiling water and use it to cook shellfish or other things

maybe its an old fashioned fire bin they will have had rubbish in those days too

How about a fish trap?

Although this fish traps are made of reeds and bamboo,same principle.
class.csueastbay.edu...

Used to keep minnows and small aquatic species alive in containment.

I like sirhumpadincks idea about cooking shellfish ... but as we're talking about a Roman artifact and we know how much the Romans loved their alcoholic beverages I'm inclined to think it may have been filled with fruit and sugar in alternate layers then it might be suspended from a hook and as the fruit breaks down and ferments the liquor seeps out of the holes and is collected in another vessel (jar or bowl) ready to be decanted / stored ... just a thought

Woody

I can't believe I'm the first to think of this but what about it being a water clock?

Water Clock Wiki

A water clock or clepsydra (Greek κλέπτειν kleptein, 'to steal'; ὕδωρ hudor, 'water') is any timepiece in which time is measured by the regulated flow of liquid into (inflow type) or out from (outflow type) a vessel where the amount is then measured.

Water clocks, along with sundials, are likely to be the oldest time-measuring instruments, with the only exceptions being the vertical gnomon and the day-counting tally stick.[1] Where and when they were first invented is not known, and given their great antiquity it may never be. The bowl-shaped outflow is the simplest form of a water clock and is known to have existed in Babylon and in Egypt around the 16th century BC. Other regions of the world, including India and China, also have early evidence of water clocks, but the earliest dates are less certain. Some authors, however, claim that water clocks appeared in China as early as 4000 BC.

Originally posted by thov420
I can't believe I'm the first to think of this but what about it being a water clock?

Water Clock Wiki

A water clock or clepsydra (Greek κλέπτειν kleptein, 'to steal'; ὕδωρ hudor, 'water') is any timepiece in which time is measured by the regulated flow of liquid into (inflow type) or out from (outflow type) a vessel where the amount is then measured.

Water clocks, along with sundials, are likely to be the oldest time-measuring instruments, with the only exceptions being the vertical gnomon and the day-counting tally stick.[1] Where and when they were first invented is not known, and given their great antiquity it may never be. The bowl-shaped outflow is the simplest form of a water clock and is known to have existed in Babylon and in Egypt around the 16th century BC. Other regions of the world, including India and China, also have early evidence of water clocks, but the earliest dates are less certain. Some authors, however, claim that water clocks appeared in China as early as 4000 BC.

Too many holes in it.Water would flow out in matter of minutes,if not seconds.

reply to post by Shane


old fashoned citronella(or what ever they used to keep bugs away) candle or perhaps filled with something to trap bugs?

Originally posted by woodwytch
I like sirhumpadincks idea about cooking shellfish ...

I saw some article the other day, which may indicate the thought process of the fine peoples we have within ATS, maybe heading in the right direction.

With the comments of both Woodwytch and Sirhumpadincks the large hole in the bottom, or top, depending on the view, would make placing dinner in the "vessel" quite easy.

Dormice, sea urchins and fresh figs were among the delicacies enjoyed by ordinary Romans, British archaeologists have revealed after discovering a giant septic tank at one of the ancient cities destroyed by the eruption of Mt Vesuvius.

Not exactly the sort of place one would wish to play in but they did find artifacts, and expressed the "diet" was made up mainly of.....

They regularly feasted on fish, spiky sea urchins, figs, walnuts, eggs and olives, using the olive pips as fuel in their homes.

Fish and Sea Urchins..........Hmmmm

It does make more sense than the Snake "Vessel" though.

Ciao

Shane

Dormice, sea urchins and fresh figs: the Roman diet revealed

www.dl.ket.org... info on how romans cooked food and from the 2nd page of the link i found this so maby this is what the jar was for?

Favourite foods of the Roman gourmet included snails fattened on milk until they could no longer retreat into their shells; dormice fattened on nuts in special earthenware jars - "battery dormice"; pigeons immobilized by having their wings clipped or legs broken, then fattened; oysters in plenty and other shellfish; ham and suckling pig; peacocks, pheasant and goose; and chicken cooked in a variety of ways, one of which required the bird to be drowned in red wine. Several dishes would be placed on the table for each person to help himself. Servants kept the guests supplied with small hot rolls - a useful means of cleaning the plate of a tasty sauce still practiced by the French today - and their glasses replenished with wine.

www.wikihow.com... or could it have been some form of a clay pot refridgerator?

The pot-in-pot refrigerator is also known by its Arabic term, a "Zeer" pot. Try different types of vegetables and fruit to see how long they last using the pot. Natural Innovation notes that "Abba's project has brought about major changes for many Nigerians: eggplants can last for 27 days rather than three, African spinach can be kept for 12 days instead of spoiling after one day, while tomatoes and peppers stay fresh for three weeks. Food hygiene standards and overall health are improving."[1] It is also possible to store sorghum and millet grains this way - the pot-in-pot refrigerator protects against humidity and stops fungi growth.[4] Meat can be kept for up to two weeks, as opposed to a few hours without this device. [5] Water and other liquids can be kept at 15ºC.[6] If selling the produce, place some of the produce for sale atop the damp cloth that is sitting over the middle pot. This will keep the exposed produce a little cooler, as well as letting people know what you have for sale

thebiblicalworld.blogspot.com...

Another possibility is that the jar was used to store dormice, rodents found throughout Europe; ancient texts suggest the mice were a popular snack for Romans. (One ancient recipe suggests eating a dormouse "stuffed with a forcemeat of pork and small pieces of dormouse meat trimmings, all pounded with pepper, nuts, laser, broth." Then, "put the dormouse thus stuffed in an earthen casserole, roast it in the oven, or boil it in the stock pot.") Urban said the problem with this theory is that dormice jars from elsewhere in the Roman world look different from this vessel. The rodent jars were equipped with a ramp that mice could run along and use to help store food within the holes.

so potentaly a storage jar for door mice

rogueclassicism.com... and these people claim to haev solved the mysteries maybe....

Okay, okay … I know yesterday I was doubting whether that pot in a London (Ontario) museum was Roman, but after watching a zillion folks trying to figure it out yesterday and today on Twitter and Facebook, it suddenly struck me: it’s an octopus trap. Here’s a detail from a famous fishing mosaic in the Sousse Museum in Tunisia (here’s the original source from which it was untimely ript): From the Stoa Image Gallery These two happy fellows are clearly fishing with perforated pots of roughly analogous size to the mystery pot and the one guy seems to be pulling an octopus out of one … just a suggestion (if anyone can point me to a better photo of this section of the mosaic, it would be greatly appreciated). By the way, it’s full of holes to make it easier to pull up …

reply to post by Shane


Maybe it was used as a decoration like with big feathers or palm leaves sticking out of it so it gave a porcupine look?

Or it could just be a lamp with a candle inside?

reply to post by VoidHawk


That's what I was thinking to. Seems to make the most sense to me.

Originally posted by mee30
Maybe it was for Potpourri?

What? The dictator?
That was well before his time, although he was well
known for putting many holes in many things.

My guess is that it is a magicians prop. You know, the one in which
the pretty assistant sits inside, and the magician pierces
through and out the other side with multiple stakes, without injuring
his accomplice .
People were alot smaller in the old days, ya know!

reply to post by Shane

Used outdoors as hung or hand held lantern in windy conditions?
Holes drilled to let out light but not let in wind.

Bee hive...