• Imported Egyptian amphora of Tuthmosis III



Imported Egyptian amphora of Tuthmosis III
Imported Egyptian amphora of Tuthmosis III

Imported Egyptian amphora of Tuthmosis III

Λ2409
Stone (Τravertine or "Egyptian Alabaster")
Intact. Crack from the shoulder to the belly of the vessel.
Height: 29.2 cm. Rim diameter: 9.8 cm. Maximum diameter: 19.3 cm.
Katsambas
Tomb Β or "Tomb of the Blue Bier"
Dating of excavation context: Late Bronze Age. Final Palatial period, Late Minoan ΙΙΙΑ2 period. (Date of production of the vessel: New Kingdom Egypt: 18th Dynasty, 1479 - 1425 BC):
1400 - 1375 BC:
Gallery:
X
Case:
108
Exhibition thematic unit:
Late Bronze Age - Neopalatial period (1700-1450 BC) - Final Palatial period (1450-1300 BC).The cemeteries
Cemeteries of Katsambas and the Phaistos area
Description
Egyptian amphora with hieroglyphic inscription including the cartouche of Pharaoh Tuthmosis III. Its shape is reminiscent of clay Canaanite amphorae. Similar amphorae have been found in tombs of the 18th Dynasty in Thebes in Egypt, and it seems that the earliest examples of this type are dated to the reign of Hatshepsut, the mother of Tuthmosis III. This particular amphora was produced in a royal workshop during the reign of Tuthmosis III, roughly corresponding to the Late Minoan IB period in Crete (1500-1450 BC). It was found in chamber tomb B (known as the Tomb of the Blue Bier) in the cemetery of Katsambas, the harbour of Knossos. It accompanied a rich burial dated to Late Minoan IIIA (c. 1400-1375 BC). The amphora appears to have been a diplomatic gift from Pharaoh Tuthmosis III to the Knossian leadership. The fact that it accompanied a rich burial of later date may indicate that the deceased was associated with the ruling class of the palace of Knossos.
Bibliography:
Alexiou, S. Υστερομινωικοί Τάφοι Λιμένος Κνωσού (Κατσαμπά). Βιβλιοθήκη της εν Αθήναις Αρχαιολογικής Εταιρείας no. 50. Athens, 1967, 46, 76-80, pl. 10. Karetsou, A. M. Andreadaki-Vlazaki and N. Papadakis (eds). Κρήτη - Αίγυπτος. Πολιτισμικοί Δεσμοί Τριών Χιλιετιών. Κατάλογος Έκθεσης στο Αρχαιολογικό Μουσείο Ηρακλείου, 21 Νοεμβρίου 1999 - 21 Σεπτεμβρίου 2000. Heraklion 2000, 220-221, no. 219. Phillips, J. Aegyptiaca on the island of Crete in their chronological context: A critical review, Volume II, Vienna, 2008, 67-68, νο. 114. Spier, J., T. Potts and S. E. Cole (eds). Beyond the Nile. Egypt and the Classical World. Catalog of the Exhibition at the J. Paul Getty Museum, 27 March - 9 September 2018. Los Angeles, 2018, 42-43.
Author:
E. S.


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