ISLAMIC, Afghanistan

ca. 10-11th century C.E.

blue glass

3 1/4 x 2 1/4 in. diameter

These Islamic Urine Bottles were created using a glass blowing technique that originated in Roman Syria in the first century B.C.E. This technology greatly increased production and supply of glass products. These bottles were used in medieval medical practices to examine the urine of infermed people. Physicians would hold these bulbous flasks in the light to examine urine for uncharacteristic coloration or consistency that were thought to correspond with various diseases.

ca. 10th-11th century C.E.

Islamic, Afghanistan

Grace H. Dreyfus Collection

1981.110