• Ritual vessel with figure-of-eight handles



Ritual vessel with figure-of-eight handles
Ritual vessel with figure-of-eight handles

Ritual vessel with figure-of-eight handles

Π13927
Clay
Mended and restored in places.
Height: 24 cm. Height (with handles): 30.9 cm. Rim diameter: 26 cm.
Zakros
Palace
Late Bronze Age. Neopalatial period, Late Minoan ΙI period.:
1500 - 1450 BC:
Gallery:
VIII
Case:
76
Exhibition thematic unit:
Late Bronze Age - Neopalatial period (1700-1450 BC). Minoan religion. Palace cult
Description
An unusual vessel that tapers downwards and has figure-of-eight handles rising above the rim. The interior is distinctive, as just below the rim is a partition perforated with a central hole encircled by smaller ones. The perforated top and the figure-of-eight handles are features found in cult vessels, particularly from Knossos. The perforated top is also seen in some vessels from the Late Cycladic I settlement of Akrotiri Thera, interpreted as flower vases. Four such vessels were found in the West Wing of the palace of Zakros, originally stored on the upper floor. Vessels of this type may have been used as flower vases while also serving a ritual function.
Bibliography:
Platonοs, Μ. "Γλάστρες και Ανθοδοχεία στο Μινωικό Κόσμο." In ΕΙΛΑΠΙΝΗ. Τόμος Τιμητικός για τον Καθηγητή Νικόλαο Πλάτωνα. Heraklion, 1987, 227-234. Platon, Ν. Ζάκρος. Το Νέον Μινωικόν Ανάκτορον. Athens, 1974. Platon, L. "Ritual Vessels with Figure-of-Eight Handles." In M. Andreadaki-Vlazaki, G. Rethemiotakis, N. Dimopoulou-Rethemiotaki (eds), From the Land of the Labyrinth. Minoan Crete, 3000 - 1100 B.C., New York, 2008, 266-267.
Author:
E. S.


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