3-037-347 - Heritage Art/Heritage Images

Amphora, A.D. 1-79. Additional Info: Two pairs of incised lines run around the shoulder and neck of this amphora (storage jar). Its one surviving handle takes the form of a standing female figure. She wears an ankle-length garment and mantle, and holds her arms at her sides. The attachment plate upon which she stands is shaped as the frontal face of a male figure, with flowing locks and a thick beard - perhaps the wine god Bacchus or a satyr. An amphora of this type could have been used to hold wine at a banquet. Comparable examples have been found in the homes of wealthy Romans, such as those who owned luxurious residences on the Bay of Naples.