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The mould-blown prismatic bottle represents Roman container ware, used for the transportation and storage of household goods (liquids such as wine, vinegar, fish sauce, oils, etc.).

A very common shape found all over the Empire from the 1st to the 3rd centuries AD, they are found in large numbers on settlement and cemetery sites throughout the Roman world.

Sizes of square bottles vary: examples from Britain and Northern Europe range in height from under 10cm to almost 40cm, with corresponding increases in base widths.

They are normally blue-green, but other colours such as mid copper blue (a bottle in Nijmegen) and deep green (a bottle from Caerleon) are known.

The bases of these bottles are usually decorated with patterns in relief. There are many variations, the exact significance of which is still not fully understood.

They may be makers' marks, owners' marks, or relate to the original contents of the bottle.

We have chosen to reproduce both some of the more common and most interesting patterns and this base design is from Slovenia.