Clay four-sided stand with religious symbols



Clay four-sided stand with religious symbols

Π11048
Clay
Mended and restored.
Height: 32.3 cm. Length of side: 21.5 cm.
Karphi
Settlement
Late Bronze Age. Postpalatial period, Late Minoan IIIC period.:
1200 - 1070 BC:
Gallery:
XI
Case:
117
Exhibition thematic unit:
Late Bronze Age - Postpalatial period (1300-1100 BC). Settlements. Sanctuaries. Tombs
Communal shrines
Description
Clay four-sided stand with elaborate decoration. The openwork sides resemble the fa?ades of a two-storey building. There are architectural features such as stepped pedestals with stepped pillar heads and openings where the windows would be. The upper part of the fenestrated stand resembles a cornice with recumbent quadrupeds in each corner and horns of consecration crowning the roof. The vessel bears painted decoration including the horns of consecration motif. Clay stands for vessels containing offerings to the deity first appeared in Crete in Late Minoan IIIA, although they were tubular in shape. This four-sided stand imitates a Cypriot metal prototype. Bronze stands, whether four-sided or rod tripod stands, were exceptional examples of Cypriot metalworking, produced as early as the 13th century BC and exported to various regions. As we see from the example from Karphi, Cypriot stands were known in Crete from the 12th century BC.
Bibliography:
Papasavvas, G. "Bronze Stands of Cypriot Types from Crete: Rod Tripods and Four-Sided Stands." In V. Karageorghis, A. Kanta, N. Stampolidis, Y. Sakellarakis (eds), Kypriaka in Crete. From the Bronze Age to the End of the Archaic Period. Nicosia, 2014, 312-324. Pendlebury, H. W., Pendlebury, J.D.S., Money-Coutts, M.B. "Excavations in the Plain of Lasithi. III. Karphi. A City of Refuge in the Early Iron Age in Crete." Annual of the British School at Athens 38 (1937-1938): 57-145. Prent, M. Cretan Sanctuaries and Cults. Continuity and Change from Late Minoan IIIC to the Archaic Period. Leiden and Boston, 2005, 143, 700-702. Preston Day, L. "Ritual Activity at Karphi: A Reappraisal." In A.-L. D'Agata and A. Van De Moortel (eds), Archaeologies of Cult: Essays in Honor of Geraldine C. Gesell (Hesperia Supplement 42). Princeton, 2009, 137-151.
Author:
E. S.


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