A Closer Look at Nabataean Piriform Unguentaria from Aila

This paper will focus on a specific type of ceramic vessel, a juglet called  a piriform unguentarium  found in the southeastern Roman Empire between the late 1st century B.C. and the 3rd century A.D.  These vessels were produced within the Nabataean Kingdom, now mostly modern day Jordan.  This paper will briefly review the history of the unguentaria, analyze a collection of these vessels from Aila, a major port of the Nabataean Kingdom, and address the historical implications of this vessel at Aila and in the wider region.  I will argue that all the unguentaria recovered at Aila were imported, probably from the Nabataean capital of Petra, a city about 100 km north of Aila.  This and other evidence suggests a vigorous and sustained trade in perfumed oils produced at Petra and widely exported in these unguentaria throughout Nabataea from the late 1st century B.C. into the 3rd century A.D.  However, it is still unclear whether the unguentaria at Aila represent perfumed oils merely for local consumption or were also intended for transhipment further south by sea along the Red Sea littoral.