Chieftain Cup
Λ341
Stone (Serpentine)
Good. Minor restoration
Height: 11.5 cm.
Hagia Triada
Palatial building
Late Bronze Age, Neopalatial period. Late Minoan Ι period:
1580 -1450 BC:
Gallery:
VIICase:
71Exhibition thematic unit:
Late Bronze Age - Neopalatial period (1700-1450 BC). Minoan religion - Domestic and open-air cultDomestic shrines. Figurines and libation vessels
Description
Handleless conical cup with disc-shaped foot ("chalice"). The exterior is carved with what are probably two episodes of a single scene. On one side are two male figures facing each other, with different hairstyles, garments and jewellery; the first is holding a staff or sceptre, while the second carries a sword resting on his shoulder. On the other side, three men in single file are carrying large objects that appear to be ox hides. The figure with the sceptre has rich, wavy tresses and is wearing many ornaments (necklace, armlets, etc.) and elaborate boots, in contrast to the figure with the sword, who has a different hairstyle with a central topknot and appears to be slightly bending his head. These elements have led to the scene being interpreted as an officer presenting the hides carried by the men on the back of the cup to a ruling figure. This famous cup has been the object of intense and extensive discussion regarding its usefulness as evidence of rites of passage in Minoan Crete.Bibliography:
Forsdyke J., 1952. Minos of Crete, Journal of the Warburg and Courtauld Institutes, vol. 15, No 1/2, p. 13 - 19. - Koehl, Robert B. 1985. The Chieftain Cup: A Cretan Rite of Passage?, American Journal of Archaeology 89:2. p. 337. Koehl, Robert B. 1986. The Chieftain Cup and a Minoan Rite of Passage, Journal of Hellenic Studies 106. pp. 99-110.Author:
D. S.Photographs' metadata