Early Imperial, Neronian or early Flavian

Glᴀss gladiator cup, Glᴀss, Roman

Translucent greenish yellow.

Everted, unworked, knocked-off rim; slightly irregular and oval-shaped body with vertical sides; convex undercurve with low base ring; flat but uneven bottom. A continuous mold seam runs from rim, down sides (concealed by palm fronds), and across bottom.

On body, two friezes run around the sides; the upper and narrower frieze contains four names, widely spaced; the lower frieze, flanked above and below by a horizontal ridge, is broader and comprises two scenes divided by vertical palm fronds, each containing two pairs of gladiators in varying stances with four names inserted between them at the top of the scenes.

ipernity: Roman Glᴀss Gladiator Cup in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, July  2007 - by LaurieAnnie

Broken and repaired, but with some losses to rim and body; a few pinprick and larger bubbles, and a few gritty impurities; slight dulling and pitting, and faint iridescent weathering.

Ars Vitraria: Glᴀss in The Metropolitan Museum of Art - The Metropolitan  Museum of Art

The scene around the cup depicts four pairs of gladiators fighting. Each man is identified by name in the Latin inscription above him. Some of the names match those of known gladiators who became famous in games held in Rome during the Julio-Claudian period, suggesting that such cups may have been made as souvenirs.

Related Posts

Uncovering the Secrets of Hadrianaupolis: The Discovery of a Remarkable Roman Iron Mask

In the ancient city of Hadrianaupolis, located in the Eskipazar district of Karabük, Turkey, an extraordinary discovery has been made that is set to rewrite the history…

Ta Prohm Temple’s Mysterious Carving: A Stegosaurus in Stone?

The Commission of Ta Prohm In the late 12th century, King Jayavarman VII of the Khmer Empire undertook the construction of Ta Prohm, an extraordinary temple complex located near the iconic Angkor Wat….

The Maiden of Llullaillaco: A 500-Year-Old Inca Sacrifice Discovered in the Andes

High in the frigid peaks of the Andes Mountains, where the air is thin and time seems to stand still, lies one of archaeology’s most remarkable discoveries….

Unveiling the Secrets of the Varna Man: Exploring the Wealthiest Grave from the Fifth Millennium BC

During the 1970s, Bulgarian archaeologists uncovered a significant find near present-day Varna, revealing a vast Copper Age burial ground from the 5th millennium BC, housing the earliest…

The Tomb of Amyntas: A Glimpse into Lycian and Greek Heritage

The Tomb of Amyntas, an iconic monument of ancient Greek architecture, stands proudly in the archaeological site of Telmessos, located in modern-day Fethiye, Turkey. Dating back to…

The Beauty of the Tarim Basin: The Red-Haired Mummy from the Taklamakan Desert

I. Discovery and Historical Context In the early 1980s, a team of Chinese archaeologists, led by Wang Binghua from the Xinjiang Insтιтute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology,…