The last blank spot on the map

This miniature vessel, also known as an amphoriskos, was likely used as a vial for perfumed oils.

Above: close-up of the flask

Vessels made of rock crystal (which is an exceptionally clear, glassy variety of quartz) were rare and highly treasured throughout the Roman world.

As the Getty Museum explains:

Due to the limited sources of the material and the labor-intensive process of making the vessels, rock crystal vessels were rare and expensive luxury items in the Roman world. A small amphoriskos such as this one probably contained expensive perfumed oils. This form of flask, with angular handles and a bottom knob, was also popular in ceramic vessels of the late first century B.C.

Above: the same vessel viewed from the side

Rock crystal was also prized for its natural beauty, resilience, and mystical significance:

Like the Greeks before them, the Romans believed that rock crystal was ice that had been hardened through intense freezing. Fittingly, such a miraculous stone was believed to have the powers of an amulet and was highly valued.

The stone's hardness made it difficult to work but also highly desirable because the finished piece possessed a glossy finish and was resistant to scratches. To hollow out the vessel, an artisan used ground emery as an abrasive. Small vessels like this multi-faceted amphoriskos took advantage of the natural elongated, hexagonal structure of the quartz mineral.

Above: another view of the amphoriskos

Sources & More Info:

Getty Museum: Roman Amphoriskos

Seeking Transparency: Rock Crystal and the Nature of Artifice in Ancient Rome

Ungoliant

Just finished a new commission on deviantart:

As was often the case with Sisters Hospitaller, Gwyniael Unica, Curia Advance of the Order of the Cleansing Water earned the respect and adoration among the wounded soldiers of the Mordian Iron Guard. Those whose lives she saved had come to see her as a Saint.

The Bunte Kuh by Hans Bordt, 1911

Though of course, like with all things Medieval, it was essentially 'service for rewards', a form of vassalage in a way, but something quite unique.

Obviously, as militant guilds, they were expected to take part in the defense of their towns when called on, and also acted as a form of law and order. Now, this second part is interesting because we see examples of them being used alongside the Flemish town paramilitary militias, called the Kaproenen (hoods, essentially; with them being White, Red and Blue for Ghent, Bruges and Ypres respectively), and while were on paper meant to be disciplined and of good standing, they were seen as second fiddle to the guilds, with some of the White Hoods (Wittekaproenen) killing workers and even bailiffs sent to arrest their leader.

The guilds were often seen as the better option, with them often being sent both within and outside the towns and cities to curb violence and disorder: in 1488, the town of Lille sent their shooting guilds to take out a force of "pillages" hiding in a nearby forest stronghold.

One other thing the guilds did was act as diplomats in their own form. They would be sent to other towns in Flanders and France to take part in archery competitions, obviously being dressed to the nines in the latest Medieval fashions and carrying only the best crossbows, but also when actual diplomacy happened, they would be sent out of the towns to meet any ambassador who was coming as act as the escort for them.

It's Archery and Crossbow Guilds in Medieval Flanders 1300 - 1500, by Laura Crombie.