Funerary stele with woman spinning
Γ234
Stone (Limestone)
Almost intact
Height: 72.5 cm.Length: 36.7 cm.Width: 11.5 cm.
Prinias
Cemetery
Early Archaic period:
650 BC:
Gallery:
XVIIIExhibition thematic unit:
Geometric - Archaic period (10th-6th c. BC). The cemetery of the city of PriniasDescription
On the surface of the funerary stele is engraved a female figure, symbolising the woman whose grave it adorned. She is wearing a long himation and holding a spindle and distaff, implements for spinning yarn, in her left hand. Traces of red paint and some black dots are preserved on the bottom of her garment and in the background. Her facial features are carved in the Daedalic style of the period, with strongly marked, almond-shaped eyes. On her left are traces of an inscription, now unreadable, probably recording her name. The scene celebrates the woman’s skill in the art of weaving, a particularly important occupation in the management of the domestic economy during this period. The stele presents an idealised woman, a creator and the core of family life.Bibliography:
Lebessi Α., Οι στήλες του Πρινιά, Athens, 1976, 23-24, 50-57, 86-89, pl. 2-3. Blome P., Die figürliche Bildwelt Kretas in der geometrischen und früharchaischen Periode, Mainz, 1982, 48-49, fig. 10. Rizza G.-Rizzo M. A., “Prinias”, in Ancient Crete, A Hundred Years of Italian Archaeology (1884-1984), Rome, 1984, 148, fig. 255.Author:
S. P.Photographs' metadata