Stone vessel
Λ2393
Stone (Limestone, Alabaster)
Mended from many pieces, restored on the upper rim and parts of the body. Strong traces of fire on the surface.
Height: 40 cm. Maximum diameter: 20 cm.
Malia
House Ζa
Late Bronze Age. Neopalatial period.:
1700-1450 BC:
Gallery:
VCase:
50Exhibition thematic unit:
Late Bronze Age - Neopalatial period (1700-1450 BC). The New Palaces. The zenith of Minoan civilisationTrade and foreign contacts. Minoan Thalassocracy. International commerce and cultural influences
Description
A large stone amphora or jug fashioned from an imported Egyptian or Syro-Palestinian piriform alabastron. The base and neck were cut off and a high neck of incurved profile added. Groups of holes in the shoulders indicate the existence of handles and perhaps a spout. The modifications to the vase do not appear to have been made at the same time but in separate phases. Although, due to the fact that parts are missing, different proposals have been put forward for its restoration, this is undeniably a vessel intended for ritual use. The discovery of the vase in a Minoan house in Malia is evidence of the distribution around the Mediterranean of artefacts that were highly valued due to their material, their “exotic” origins or their specialised craftsmanship. They were often “recycled” or modified to serve the particular needs of different times and places.Bibliography:
Demargne, P. and H. Gallet de Santerre. Fouilles ex?cut?es ? Mallia. Exploration des maisons et quartiers d’habitation (1921-1948), ?tudes Cretoises 9, Paris, 1953, 95-96, pl. XLIII, 6-7, LIX. Karetsou, A., M. Andreadaki-Vlazaki, and N. Papadakis (eds). Κρήτη - Αίγυπτος. Πολιτισμικοί δεσμοί τριών χιλιετιών. Κατάλογος Έκθεσης. Heraklion, 2000 (Greek edition)/Herakleion and Cairo, 2001 (English edition), 210-11. Phillips, J. Aegyptiaca on the Island of Crete in their Chronological Context: A Critical Review. I-II. Vienna, 2008, Vol. II, 187.Author:
D. M.Photographs' metadata