• Clay animal-shaped askos



Clay animal-shaped askos
Clay animal-shaped askos

Clay animal-shaped askos

Π9458
Clay
Intact
Height: 11 cm. Maximum width:14 cm.
Amnissos
Cave of Amnissos or Cave of Eileithyia
Early Bronze Age. Prepalatial period, Early Minoan I period.:
3100 - 2700 BC:
Gallery:
I
Case:
6
Exhibition thematic unit:
Early Bronze Age - Prepalatial period (3000 - 1900 BC). Settlements and cemeteries - the rise of ruling groups
For the dead. From personal event to communal practices
Description
Closed vessel with handle. Its almost oval body appears to imitate containers made of natural materials, such as gourds or skin bags. The tall cylindrical neck, the protrusion resembling a rudimentary tail on the opposite side, and the three small feet on which the vessel stands give the impression of a stylised animal. Rows of fine red lines crisscross to form triangles on the neck and the upper half of the body, while the lower half is painted solid red. The vessel was probably a funerary offering, as the cave was used for burials in the Late Neolithic and Early Minoan I and IIA periods. From the Middle Minoan period to the end of the Bronze Age and into historical times, the cave was used as a cult place.
Bibliography:
Betancourt, P.P. and Ν. Marinatos. "Το Σπήλαιο της Αμνισού: Η Έρευνα του 1992." Αρχαιολογική Εφημερίς 139 (2000): 179-236. Marinatos, S. "Ανασκαφαί εν Κρήτη". Πρακτικά της εν Αθήναις Αρχαιολογικής Εταιρείας (1929): 94-104. Marinatos, S. "Ανασκαφαί εν Κρήτη." Πρακτικά της εν Αθήναις Αρχαιολογικής Εταιρείας (1930): 91-99.
Author:
E. S.


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