Canteen dilema

[Anonymous]

Salvete,<br>
<br>
Some time ago it was suggested that the ubiquitous canteen may actually have been used for carrying oil and not water. Now I don’t recall whether this was speculation or backed by evidence.<br>
<br>
I use a canteen of the typical pattern, steel body with brass trimmings and fittings. Mine is lined with beeswax to prevent internal corrosion from water. What is the evidence we have for this pattern of canteens? Were they definitely steel and brass (iron and bronze). I also have a skin which I rationalise would have been used for sour wine. But have I got it wrong?<br>
<br>
The reason I am asking is that the idea of the canteen being used for oil makes a certain amount of sense<br>
Legionaries have a great many uses for oil (cooking, bathing/grooming, lighting, cleaning etc), and unlike water, oil is not readily available for replenishing. Assuming each legionary will carry at least three days rations (or possibly more) he is likely to need a reasonable amount of oil to be carried in something.<br>
If the canteen were for water, it would most likely be replenished from streams, springs or wells which would result in the unprotected steel outer, becoming rusty quite quickly. A skin would not be prone to this, but on the other hand is difficult to fill by immersion.<br>
<br>
As you can see I’m in a quandary. Any help would be greatly appreciated.<br>
<br>
Valete<br>
<br>
Mummius<br>
<p></p><i></i>

[Carlton Bach]

As Daniel Peterson points out, several canteens were equipped with locks (which indicates they were used for something other than water). However, I doubt that regular immersion on refilling would become a problem. If carried openly, the canteen would dry quickly and, being regularly moved and handled, what little rust formed would rub off. Maybe the Roman soldiers carried in them whatever the moment dictated?<br>
<br>
A waterskin woud not really surprise me, though. The 'net bags' depicted on Trajan's column might be such, no? Lightweight, foldable, unbreakable, repairable in the field with a needle, thread and beeswax, it would be my choice. Definitely over a pottery bottle (and how common were those metal canteens? IIRC there aren't very many finds.) <p></p><i></i>

[Matthew Amt]

Avete!<br>
<br>
Yes, there aren't many of those iron flasks, and at least one has the "locking cap" (which I'd LOVE to see!). They seem a little small, too, but maybe not. I don't know if they've been checked for traces of tinning, but tinned iron canteens were quite common in the 18th century, so the use of these flasks as regular canteens is not out of the question. A lining of wax or pitch is all you need for preventing undue rust.<br>
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Deepeeka's model is pretty darn accurate, all things considered. One difference, not very visible, is that the originals were soldered together in 2 halves, whereas Deepeeka welded the joint and ground it smooth. If that really bothers you, you can file or Dremel a fake seam and slop some solder over it.<br>
<br>
Ceramic flasks of a very similar size and range of shapes are apparently quite common finds on some sites. They might also be oil flasks, but could also be canteens. Ceramic isn't all that impractical for the purpose, being a little tougher than one might think, and certainly easy to replace. Won't rust or leak, either.<br>
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I use a big gourd in my netbag. First time I drop anything on it, it'll crush a lot easier than a pottery flask... I tend to like the idea of a leather flask, just haven't tried making one. Sure wish someone would dig a few up!<br>
<br>
Valete,<br>
<br>
Matthew <p></p><i></i>

[Daniel S Peterson]

Several of these flasks are extremely ornate, with dolphin terminal handles, human masks, decorative center bosses, etc. and were more oval than the keg shaped newstead one in which the Deepeeka is based. This is not to say that the more ornate ones were for oil and the simpler one for water, but I suspect it was just a cheaper version of the fancier oil flasks. Could a soldier use an oil flask for a canteen? Why not. At the Battle of Franklin a few weeks ago, my tin canteen sprung a leak, so I filled an old wine bottle with water and stuffed it in my haversack.<br>
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On the other hand, since Roman oil and water flasks served a similar purpose, and were likely made by the same craftsmen, it it natural they might have design similarities. The net bag with a "bota" type bladder is probably the "typical" soldiers water container. The full hide wineskins you find in Spain would also be a nice Roman camp addition. Can you still get these Aitor? I bought mine on a pilgrimage to Numantia nearly fifteen years ago, and have seem to have lost it in the intervening years.<br>
<br>
Dan <p></p><i></i>

[Anonymous]

one i saw in Trier appeared to have have a motif of grapes etc <p><img src="http://homepage.ntlworld.com/mark.martin/forum/mark.gif
" width="100" height="100" align="right">
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[Carlton Bach]

Matthew, they're not from a Roman military context, but waterskins dating to the early 2nd century AD were found at En Gedi. Yigael Yadin published them in his 'Finds from the Cave of Letters' (which is a great resource to have, anyway). <p></p><i></i>

[aitor iriarte]

Dan,<br>
I bought some years ago one of those small wineskins made of the hide of a small goat turned inside out. I even ordered it using the traditional spout (i.e.) a hollow cane closed by a cork. I filled it with wine... but it leaked slightly and eventually grew mould and...<br>
Well, surely the man who made it was not careful enough. You can still find those small 'pellejos' (skins) in Sapin but all of them with the typical 'bota' plastic or horn stopper.<br>
<br>
Aitor <p></p><i></i>