In the 2nd century AD, unique artifacts made their way to Foggy Albion.
A small glass vessel found in a layer dating to the end of the 2nd century AD in York was likely intended for kohl – eyeliner or eye shadows (other names include kajal or kohol, kohl or kuhl). Such vessels are widespread in Egypt and Nubia but are rarely found outside of these regions, and this is the first such find in Roman Britain. Hillary Cool from Barbican Research Associates dedicated an article to it, which was published in the journal Britannia.
The vessel was discovered in the early 1980s, but it was not given much significance at the time. The find spot was a dump used by the inhabitants of a Roman military camp located across the river.
The bottle stood out with its blue-green glass, thick silvery sheen, and dark spots. These features cannot be explained by the conditions in which the bottle lay – other glass finds from the same location look entirely different. It could not have been a defect – according to Cool, she has never encountered such a level of incompetence in the production of a vessel.
The main distinguishing feature of the vessel is the shape of its internal container. Unlike most glass vessels, where the inner walls replicate the curves of the outer ones, the container of the York flask is cylindrical. This shape is characteristic of Egyptian vessels with kohl, as it is convenient for extracting the substance with an applicator stick.
Similar bottles with close dating have been repeatedly found in Egypt, including at military sites and dumps. "This product was not traded outside of Egypt and Sudan – otherwise, we would find them much more often," explains Cool.
Due to its small size, the flask was unsuitable for storing perfume, and it is unlikely to have been a souvenir brought back by a traveler: if such souvenirs were popular, they would also be found more frequently.
Thus, the bottle could not have arrived in Britain through trade, as a memento, or as a vessel for something else. There remains only one option – kohl was brought by someone who used it, namely an Egyptian man or woman.
York and its surroundings had various connections with Egypt during Roman times. For instance, there was a temple of Serapis, a Greco-Egyptian god, in the city. In Leicester, an ivory box depicting the god Anubis was previously found – it is known that Roman soldiers serving in Egypt worshiped him.
The archaeologist suggests that the kohl flask may have belonged to a soldier who was either Egyptian himself or had spent a long time in Egypt and adopted the practice of applying eyeliner. The find serves as a reminder that we need to consider such cultural features and habits when envisioning Roman soldiers serving on the fringes of the empire. "After all, eyeliner is not a habit typically associated with the Roman army," notes Cool.
