ID For Amphora-shaped Artifact, please

[Mayadigger]

Ave!

Lead; 58mm/51.9gm - hollow!

When first arrived, I thought, awe, it's a toy canon with one of the trunnions broken away.

Now I'm thinking it represents the shape of amphora missing one handle?

Most likely a Celtic artifact as it was ground-found in the environs of a Celtic settlement south of the River Drava, Croatia.

Any thoughts, conjectures or surmises as to use will be highly appreciated!

Kevin

[v-drome]

Hi Kevin.  Miniature lead amphora is also what I would call this object.  I have a collection of nine of these from Caesarea Maritima, discussed at length in the Forum topic linked below.  The only publication I know of on these is by L. Y. Rahmani, "On Some Roman to Early Medieval Lead Miniature Amphorae", Israel Museum Studies in Archaeology, Volume 2-2003.  This is a catalog of 38 artifacts from around the Mediterranean.  I have not found it online, but I think reprints are available from the Israel Museum.  Your piece would fit in with his type "C", which lack shoulders and are much rarer than the more standard amphora shapes, but yours is taller and more elongated than any of his examples (and considerably heavier than any of mine, if that 51.9 grams is correct).  Our members Gert and SC have also been interested in these objects.  Let me know if you have any other specific questions and I will help if I can.

Regards, Jimi

https://www.forumancientcoins.com/board/index.php?topic=88853.0

[v-drome]

Also this article on an amphora almost identical to my BCC LA3:

Farhi Y. 2016. "From Caesarea to Hebron -Recently Discovered Roman Period Lead Miniature Amphora from Tel Hebron. Judea and Samaria Research Studies 25/1", available on Academia.edu.

[Mayadigger]

Ave Jimi!

Thank you very, very much! 

Roman makes more sense than Celtic. Any century in mind?

I poked about the inside and removed 1 gm of remaining dirt so the final true weight is 50.9gm. 
The interior measures 54mm.

I am starting to think they were cast together in a two-piece mold using a method known as "slush casting" in order to produce the hollow containers.

Pretty sure that your surmise is correct!

Thanks again for all your information and directing me to the original thread.

Best regards,

Kevin
 

[v-drome]

Date on yours is really hard to say, especially without any epigraphic evidence.  These have only rarely been found in an archaeological context and even then were mostly from fill layers mixed with later 6th-7th century CE debris.  The more traditional amphora shapes (type A) are thought to be 1st-3rd century CE. The more bulbous types with sloping shoulders (type B) tentatively are placed in the 5th-8th range.  And the types without shoulders (Type C) may be 4th to 5th.  The linear style of decoration on your amphora, however, seems closer to the Type A group than to the scroll-like decoration on Types B and C.  And, again, the shape of your vessel is very different from anything in either of these groups, so I realize I'm not not much help, here!