In 2013, MOLA archaeologists found a beautiful and extremely rare example of an enamelled Roman flask in Moorgate while working on a site alongside developers Stanhope and Mitsui Fudosan. The enamelled copper-alloy flask is hexagonal in shape and is a very fine example of Romano-British metalworking. There are only a dozen flasks of this form known from across the Roman Empire and this example is one of the best preserved.
Two of the five pieces found are intact which allows us to imagine how the flask would once have looked when it was in use. It is thought that these decorative vessels were intended to carry ointments and perfumes possibly used for bathing, as the handle holes could imply. Similar flasks have been found alongside other items associated with cosmetics, supporting this theory.
