The Harvester Vase
from Aghia Triadha
LM I
Steatite rhyton
Diameter 4 1/2 inches
(Archaeological Museum, Herakleion, Crete)
This rhyton (a ritual pouring or drinking vessel) shows a long-haired man in ceremonial dress at the centre of a procession of marching male figures carrying winnowing fans for the harvest. With the exception of the long-haired man, all the men are singing. One figure plays a sistrum.
Signet Ring
from a tomb at Isopata, near Knossos
c. 1500 BCE
gold
(Archaeological Museum, Herakleion, Crete)
This gold seal-ring shows four female figures, wearing Minoan flounced skirts and tight bodices, stand (or dance) with their breasts bared. The two on the left have their arms held out straight in front of them, while the woman on the right has both arms raised. The fourth figure appears in the middle and appears to be the centre of attention for the other three. There are four clumps of flowering plants with leaves, and other, unidentifiable, items (two could be snakes, another an eye).
Rhyton in the shape of a bull's head
from Knossos
LM I
Height 101/4 inches
serpentine, limestone, and rock crystal
(Archaeological Museum, Herakleion, Crete)
Liquids were poured from this rhyton through a hole in the mouth. It was filled through another hole in the neck.
SPRING 2016 