A Look at the Phenomeon of Eulogia in Byzantine with the Terracota Ampullae from Manisa Museum
In Christian art, ampullae are not simply objects made of metal, glass or terracotta. The fact that ampullae are containers filled with substances such as water, oil or powder that can be taken and carried from the pilgrimage sites is a detail that emphasises their mystical aspect. Most researchers accept ampullae as eulogia. The term eulogia generally means eulogy, that is, blessing. Eulogia also refers to a sacred and revered object, such as a piece of the holy cross on which Jesus was crucified, or a product in contact, such as oil and water. Examples include medallions, censers, jugs, small bottles, tokens and various types of jewellery. Regardless of the material of manufacture, ampullae form a special group within this category because they combine a mass=produced object with a eulogia. What makes ampullae special is not only the substances they contain but also the iconographic depictions they bear. Terracotta ampullae are vessels mentioned with the Menas bottles associated with the Abu Mena cross centre in Egypt. Thus, ampullae are generally divided into two groups: the Menas type and the Anatolian or Asia Minor type. Terracotta ampullae in Anatolia are found among excavation findings, museum artefacts and private collections. There are 8 terracotta ampullae among the Manisa Museum artefacts. Since the ampullae were brought to the museum through purchase, their place of origin is uncertain. Therefore, dating suggestions are made according to parallel examples. Therefore, it is predicted that the ampullae of the Manisa Museum are objects belonging to the 5th and 7th centuries AD.
Bizans’ta Eulogia Olgusuna Manisa Müzesi Pişmiş Toprak Ampullalarıyla Bir Bakış
Hristiyanlık sanatı içinde ampullalar sadece metal, cam ya da pişmiş topraktan yapılan basit objeler değildir. Ampullaların içlerinin su, yağ ya da toz gibi ziyaret edilen hac alanlarından, içlerinin dolu olarak alınıp taşınabilen kaplar olmaları onların mistik yanlarını vurgulayan ayrıntılardır. Ampullalar çoğu araştırmacı tarafından eulogia olarak kabul edilmektedir. Eulogia terimi ise en genel tanımıyla eulogy yani kutsama anlamı taşımaktadır. Eulogia bir yandan da kutsal ve saygı duyulan bir nesneyi örneğin İsa’nın gerildiği kutsal haçtan bir parçayı, ya da kutsal yağ ve su gibi temas halindeki bir ürünü ifade etmektedir. Örnekler arasında madalyonlar, buhurdanlar, sürahiler, küçük şişeler, tokenlar ve çeşitli mücevherler de yer almaktadır. Bunların içerisinde yapım malzemesi fark etmeksizin ampullalar, seri üretilen bir nesneyi, eulogia ile birleştirdiği için bu kategorinin özel bir grubunu temsil etmektedir. Ampullaları özel kılan sadece içerdikleri maddeler değil bunlara ek olarak aynı zamanda üzerlerinde bulunan dini tasvirlerle birlikte bir değer oluşturmalarıdır. Pişmiş toprak ampullalar Mısır’daki Abu Mena hac merkeziyle ilişkilendirilen Menas şişeleri ile birlikte anılan kaplardır. Dolayısıyla ampullalar Menas ve Anadolu tipi ya da diğer bir söylemle Küçük Asya tipi olmak üzere iki gruba ayrılmaktadır. Anadolu’da pişmiş toprak ampullalara kazı bulun= tuları arasında, müze eserleri içinde ve özel koleksiyonlarda rastlanmaktadır. Manisa Müzesi eserleri arasında 8 adet pişmiş toprak ampulla bulunmaktadır. Ampullalar müzeye satın alma yoluyla kazandırıldıkları için geliş yerleri belirsizdir. Dolayısıyla tarihlendirme önerileri paralel örneklere göre yapılmaktadır. Bu bağlamda Manisa Müzesi ampullalarının 5. ve 7. yüzyıllara ait objeler oldukları öngörülmektedir.
Ampullae are popular objects of worship, a type of travelling art often associated with pilgrimage and cult sites in Anatolia, Egypt and the Holy Land. Although they reached the top of their production and prevalence between the 6th and 7th centuries AD, it is known that metal ones continued to be used until the 13th and 15th centuries AD. These vials may be filled with holy water or sacred oil that has been in contact with a relic from a particular sacred site. In some cases, holy land or dust from a saint’s cult site may replace holy water or sacred oil. The ampullae were often decorated with images of saints, evangelists, crosses, or Bible stories. However, examples with inscriptions and without ornaments are also seen. In Christian art, ampullae are not simply objects made of metal, glass or terracotta. The fact that ampullae are containers filled with substances such as water, oil or powder that can be taken and carried from the pilgrimage sites is a detail that emphasises their mystical aspect. In this sense, the ampullae are vessels associated with the pilgrimage phenomenon in Christianity.
The term eulogia generally means eulogy, that is, blessing. Eulogia are gifts blessed by a cleric or monk. They are natural products, such as the consecrated bread distributed by the clerics after the conclusion of the eucharist. Although the eulogia emerged from the Jewish tradition, the attribution of healing powers to the ampullae is specific to Christianity. The basis of this idea is the displacement of sacred activity, that is, the assumption that relics can transfer their power and healing to one substance and appear in another place. Eulogia also refers to a sacred and revered object, such as a piece of the holy cross on which Jesus was crucified, or a product in contact, such as oil and water. Eulogia was another method that did not require taking the original relics from the pilgrimage sites. These are man=made pilgrim souvenirs called tertiary relics. These objects are produced on a large scale using moulds and many copies of them can be made quickly. Examples include medallions, censers, jugs, small bottles and various types of jewellery. Regardless of the material of manufacture, ampullae form a special group within this category because they combine a mass=produced object with a eulogia. What makes ampullae special is not only the substances they contain but also the iconographic depictions they bear. Most researchers accept ampullae as eulogia. Indeed, Hanfmann insists that ampullae are eulogia made for the transportation of holy water, holy land or sacred oil to holy lands and through contact with holy objects or relics.
Terracotta ampullae are vessels mentioned together with the Menas bottles associated with the Abu Mena cross centre in Egypt. Thus, ampullae are generally divided into two groups: the Menas type and the Anatolian or Asia Minor type. The Anatolian=type ampullae are also divided into two types. The easiest way to distinguish between the Anatolian=type and the Menas (Egyptian) type ampullae is to look at their necks. While the Egyptian examples have handles similar to the Greek amphoras, the Anatolian types are characterised by two holes on each side of their necks. Terracotta ampullae thought to be produced in Western Anatolia have smaller oval=shaped bodies. As for the decoration, various figures, cross motifs and architectural depictions are more common. Both Anatolian and Egyptian type ampullae were produced by moulding technique. It is assumed that the moulds of the vials, which are generally considered to have cheap and crude workmanship, were also made of clay material. The moulds are produced separately in pairs. Similarly, the front and back faces of the ampullae are made separately and then joined together.
Terracotta ampullae in Anatolia are found among excavation findings, museum artefacts and private collections. There are 8 terracotta ampullae among the Manisa Museum artefacts. All of them are Anatolian=type ampullae produced with the moulding technique. Among the ampullae in the Manisa Museum, the second group of small bottles, which are mostly of the Anatolian type, are seen. The first group in the museum is represented by two examples. One of the striking details is that there is no ampulla decorated with human figures among the museum artefacts. Since the ampullae were brought to the museum through purchase, their place of origin is uncertain. Therefore, dating suggestions are made according to parallel examples. Therefore, it is predicted that the ampullae of the Manisa Museum are objects belonging to the 5th and 7th centuries AD.
