The alabastron (pl. alabastra) is a long-bodied vessel, with a wide flattened rim and a rounded bottom. Alabastra are usually handleless, although some examples have eyes or lugs by which thread could be attached. They seem to have been primarily used to hold perfumed oil by women after bathing.
Attic white-ground black-figure alabastron, ca. 540 BC. Signed by Pasiades, Group of the Paidikos.
Alabastra
H. 3 ¾ in. (9.7 cm), Diam.1 ½ in. (3.9 cm)
Louvre, Paris
Image Courtesy of Marie-Lan Nguyen/Wikimedia Commons