Mold-made ceramic askoi in Roman Egypt: a new perspective on a group preserved in the Grand Egyptian Museum

This study examines a distinctive group of five moldmade ceramic vessels of the askos type preserved in the Grand Egyptian Museum. It aims to identify their material, technical, and iconographic characteristics, as well as to determine their potential production centers and chronological framework through a descriptive, analytical, and comparative approach, drawing on parallels from Egypt and beyond. The results demonstrate that these vessels represent a clear case of skeuomorphism, whereby local Egyptian potters sought to imitate luxury metal prototypes (bronze and silver) in terms of casting details, applied relief decoration, and twisted handles. The study further reveals that the askos was not merely a utilitarian container but a multifunctional object: it was used in daily life for pouring liquids, in medical contexts as a body warmer, in ritual practices —particularly female purification rites in the Fayoum— and in funerary contexts, where it played a role in symbolic libation rituals intended to facilitate the soul’s journey. On the symbolic level, the study analyzes the decorative iconography, which combines athletic scenes (such as weightlifters), Dionysiac elements (including ivy leaves and maenad masks), and the duality of Eros and Psyche. These motifs reflect concepts of fertility, transcendence over death, and spiritual liberation. The study concludes that this group dates to the early Roman period (from the late 1st century BCE to the 1st century CE) and represents the output of local workshops in the Fayoum, Memphis, and the Delta, reflecting an interaction between Mediterranean techniques and Egyptian social and ritual needs. As such, these vessels constitute a form of “hybrid material culture” expressing the aspirations and worldview of society in Roman Egypt.