Why was this made, and how was it used?
By Gracyn Benck '23
This metal bowl seems to have been made for a Christian, because of the inclusion of the row of crosses toward the bottom of the vessel. A Crusader could have taken it from the Holy Land as a physical connection to the memory and experience of these Crusades. It likely served the secular and everyday function of holding food, wine, oil, etc. Since it is only fifteen centimeters, the bowl was very portable and could have been taken back to a Crusader’s home. It would be able to travel easily along the Crusade route and back with the patron. On the other hand, it could have been kept in a Christian (either crusader or local Christian) community in the eastern Mediterranean. In Syria and Egypt, for example, there were large local Christian populations.