Greek and Roman mixing bowls with 'Larva Convivialis', 450 BC-200 AD.
Image number: 10284938
The bowl on the right is from Attica, Greece, and dates from around 450 BC. It would have been used for mixing wine and water, and on special occasions opium may have been added. The miniature bronze 'Larva Convivialis' is Roman and dates from the 1st or 2nd century AD. At feasts it was the custom to hand round models of skeletons to remind the revellers of their mortality. Very few have survived, and this one has been incorrectly restored. The small glass cinerary (or cremation) urn on the left is Roman, from the same period.
- Image number:
- Science Museum/Science & Society Picture Library
- Date taken:
- 12 January 2004 15:45
- Image rights:
- Science Museum