抖阴旅行射

Catalogue Entry听

This vase is one of听a collection of Greek vases听held by the 抖阴旅行射 Art Museum.

Gift to 抖阴旅行射 Classics Department
Transferred to 抖阴旅行射 Museum of Natural History
听(2006)

Height: 7.6听cm
Diameter (max.): 11.7听cm
Date: c. 2,700 B.C.E.
Origin: Crete

Description: Unevenly handmade round container with flat base and straight sides.听Round lid with slightly domed surface. Two small horizontal lugs, pierced vertically, extend from opposite sides of the lip of the vessel.听Brown glazed surface with incised linear patterns covering vessel body and lid.听

Additional photos of this vessel show details of the small lugs, interior, decoration, and lid.听

顿颈蝉肠耻蝉蝉颈辞苍听

This cylindrical incised ware pyxis is made from a gritty, brownish-gray clay. It is thick-walled with a flat bottom, vertical sides, and a slightly domed lid (1). It has two vertical small lugs, pierced vertically, that were probably threaded with a string or cord. Sixteen vertical听incised lines divide the surface of the body into vertical zones of unequal width. Within each zone听diagonal听lines are incised; the angle of the lines is consistent within each zone, but alternates between zones to create an overall zigzag pattern around the body of the vessel (2). This design pattern is called "herringbone" (3).听听

A pyxis (plural: pyxides)听is a small box with a lid made of clay. for cosmetics, trinkets, or other small objects.

The techniques used to create this pot听are not well documented; what we do know, however, is that these pots were made by hand rather than thrown on a potter's wheel. The incised lines were added when the clay was still wet or at least in a leather-hard state. Incised decoration is relatively common in Minoan pottery from Crete, as well as in earlier Cycladic pottery, especially in this herringbone design (4).听Often the incisions were enhanced with a white chalk-like substance to enhance their appearance.

It is likely that this pyxis was used as an offering in a tomb. In general, pottery found in tombs tends to be more decorated and to be confined to a more limited range of shapes than settlement pottery, that is, pottery found in the areas where people resided, lived, and worked. Some shapes are, in fact, rarely found outside of graves, including cylindrical pyxides like this one (5). What is more, vessels are are less well-made and poorly fired, such as this one, are more likely to have been made for a funerary use, as they did not need to stand up to daily wear-and-tear (6). This pot, then, seems to meet most of the requirements to be identified as a funerary offering: it is highly decorated, but not as well-made as an everyday vessel.听

Footnotes

1. J. E. Coleman, "Early Cycladic clay vessels" in eds. J. Thimme and P. Getz-Preziosi,听Art and Culture of the Cyclades听(Karlsruhe: C.F. M眉ller, 1977):听110.
2. Chara Tzavella-Evjen,听Greek and Roman Vases and Statuettes from the University of Colorado Collection听(Athens: Archaiologikon Deltion, 1973): 192; Christian Zervos, L'art des Cyclades : du de虂but a la fin du bronze, 2500-1100 avant notre e虁re听(Paris:听E虂ditions "Cahiers D'art", 1957):听figs. 81, 82, 84;听Christos Doumas,听Early Cycladic Art: The N. P. Goulandris Collection (New York: Frederick A. Praeger, Inc., 1969): 24, fig. 90;听ADelt. 17 (1961-62): Meletai, Pl. 73脽.
3. Coleman, "Early Cycladic clay vessels": 110.
4. Coleman, "Early Cycladic clay vessels": 109.
5. Coleman, "Early Cycladic clay vessels":. 109.
6. Coleman, "Early Cycladic clay vessels": 109.

Reference

• Chara Tzavella-Evjen,听Greek and Roman Vases and Statuettes from the University of Colorado Collection听(Athens: Archaiologikon Deltion, 1973): 192-197.听