The unguentarium is one of the most characteristic types of Hellenistic pottery. It is also known as the "tear-bottle"; this is because it was once thought that such vessels were used for collecting the tears of mourners before being placed in the grave. Today, however, it is believed that such vessels were probably used for the transportation of unguents. The decoration of unguentaria generally consisted of simple bands and remained unchanged throughout the lifetime of this type. Nevertheless, there are also many undecorated examples.
