Hellenistic braziers in the British Museum: trade contacts between ancient Mediterranean cities

Abstract

One of the more important collections of Hellenistic terracotta in the British Museum is the selection of brazier attachments. These were added to the Museum at various dates from the mid-19th century onwards. What adds enormously to the value of the British Museum attachments is that they come from cities in different regions and that for each one its location has been systematically recorded in the Museum inventory. This information in conjunction with the type of attachment and the composition of the clay should make it possible to work out where they were made. Not only will the main centres of production for braziers then become evident, but at the same time, by looking at the towns where they were found, we shall be able to get some idea of Hellenistic trade routes between Mediterranean cities.These Hellenistic braziers characteristically consist of a fire bowl with pierced bottom and three raised supports, carried on a stand with two loop handles and a large vent. The raised supports, conventionally known as attachments, are roughly rectangular in shape, with a spur below projecting towards the centre of the fire bowl. They characteristically have relief decoration on the inner face and sometimes on the reverse (outer side) as well. These braziers are light and portable. The fuel used was charcoal, which was placed in the bowl, and a draught was maintained through the holes at the bottom of the bowl and the vent in the stand. The stand is made of coarse, gritty terracotta, and is generally undecorated, but in a few cases we observe applied relief as decoration (fig 1).