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Stirrup jar with stylised octopus decoration

Π3480
Clay
Mended
Height: 21 cm.
Mesa Mouliana
Sellades, Tholos Tomb Β
Late Bronze Age. Postpalatial period, Late Minoan IIIC period.:
1200 - 1070 BC:
Gallery:
XI
Case:
123
Exhibition thematic unit:
Late Bronze Age - Postpalatial period (1300-1100 BC). Settlements. Sanctuaries. Tombs
Cemeteries
Description
Stirrup jar, one of the most characteristic vases of the Octopus Close Style of the Late Minoan IIIC period. It has a distinctive globular shape and decoration covering the whole surface. The lower half of the body is decorated with wide and narrow bands. In the main decorative zone of the upper body is a stylised octopus with concentric circles for eyes, tentacles extending perfectly symmetrically to right and left of the head, giving an impression of flowing motion. Various motifs, mainly tassels, complete the decoration. The vase was found with a similar stirrup jar next to the head of the deceased, who was buried with bronze weapons and a gold death mask (Χ-Α188) in the floor of Tholos Tomb B of Mouliana. The two stirrup jars are thought to be the work of the Xanthoudides Master, who was active in the wider area of Sitia. The region was at the forefront of pottery production in the 12th century BC, with many exports outside Crete.
Bibliography:
Betancourt, Ph.P., Η Ιστορία της Μινωικής κεραμεικής (trans. Th. Iliopoulos). Athens, 1985, fig. 131. Kanta, A. The Late Minoan III Period in Crete. A Survey of Sites, Pottery and their Distribution. Studies in Mediterranean Archaeology Volume LVIII. G?teborg, 1980, 175, 255. Paschalidis, C. The LM III Cemetery at Tourloti, Siteia. The 'Xanthoudides Master' and the Octopus Style in East Crete. BAR International Series 1719. Oxford, 2009, 30-36. Xanthoudides, S. "Εκ Κρήτης. Β. Οι Τάφοι των Μουλιανών." Αρχαιολογική Εφημερίς (1904): 21-56, fig. 10 right.
Author:
E. S.


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