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2006.24.T, Mycenaean Squat Jar

Catalogue Entry

Photograph of squat jar, tan with brown slip decoration, from high angle against neutral gray background.

This vase is one ofÌýa collection of Greek vasesÌýheld by the Â鶹Ãâ·Ñ°æÏÂÔØArt Museum.

Gift to Â鶹Ãâ·Ñ°æÏÂÔØClassics Department
Transferred to Â鶹Ãâ·Ñ°æÏÂÔØMuseum of Natural History
Ìý(2006)

Height: 7.0 cm
Diameter (max.): 14.0 cm
Date: 14th centuryÌýB.C.E.
Origin: GreeceÌý

Description: Squat jar with rounded base, short neck, and relatively open mouth. Three small handles evenly spaced around shoulder of vessel.ÌýTan clay with red and brown slip decoration. Bottom of vessel decorated with three pairs of concentric circles in red.ÌýThick red band encircles body just below midpoint. Three large brown spirals fill space between handles, while three smaller brown spirals with curved stemsÌýdecorate the space beneath each handle. Handles decorated in brown. Top of shoulder decorated with single brown ring just below lip. Neck, lip, and mouth entirely covered with brown slip.Ìý

Additional photos of this vessel show details of its base, handles, and decoration.Ìý

Discussion

This three-handled squat jar dates to the Late Helladic IIIA:1 period, approximately 1,400-1,375 B.C.E. It is made of a buff-colored clay and is decorated with both reddish and brownish slips. As is typical for this

Photograph of squat jar, tan with brown slip decoration, from side against neutral gray background.
period, the neck and handles of the jar are decorated in the same solid color (1) and the bottom of the vessel is decorated in a pattern of three pairs of concentric circles (2).Ìý

Like an earlier squat jar in the Â鶹Ãâ·Ñ°æÏÂÔØArt Museum's collection, this vessel likely served as a container for oilÌýand may, therefore, have functioned in connection with cosmetic practices or funeral rituals. The shape is a precursor to the later alabstron shape, seen in a 6th century B.C.E. example in the Â鶹Ãâ·Ñ°æÏÂÔØArt Museum's collection, which tend to be taller and thinner with more rounded bottoms (3).Ìý

Comparanda

  • ´¡°ù²Ô±ðÌý¹ó³Ü°ù³Ü³¾²¹°ù°ì,ÌýThe Mycenaean Pottery: Analysis and ClassificationÌý(Stockholm: Victor Pettersons Bokindustriaktiebolag, 1941): 41, Fig. 11 (84);Ìý361 (49); 363, Fig. 62. (8,11,12).

Footnotes

  1. P.A. ²Ñ´Ç³Ü²Ô³ÙÂá´Ç²â,ÌýMycenaean Pottery: An Introduction. (Oxford: Oxford University CommitteeÌýfor Archaeology, 1993): 57.
  2. ²Ñ´Ç³Ü²Ô³ÙÂá´Ç²â,ÌýMycenaean Pottery: 57; Chara Tzavella-Evjen,ÌýGreek and Roman Vases and Statuettes from the University of Colorado CollectionÌý(Athens: Archaiologikon Deltion, 1973): 192-197; ´¡°ù²Ô±ðÌý¹ó³Ü°ù³Ü³¾²¹°ù°ì,ÌýThe Mycenaean Pottery: Analysis and ClassificationÌý(Stockholm: Victor Pettersons Bokindustriaktiebolag, 1941); A.D. Lacy,ÌýGreek Pottery in the Bronze AgeÌý(London: Methuen and Co. Ltd., 1967).
  3. ¹ó³Ü°ù³Ü³¾²¹°ù°ì,ÌýThe Mycenaean Pottery; A.D. Lacy,ÌýGreek Pottery in the Bronze Age. (London: Methuen and Co. Ltd., 1967).

Reference

  • Chara Tzavella-Evjen,ÌýGreek and Roman Vases and Statuettes from the University of Colorado CollectionÌý(Athens: Archaiologikon Deltion, 1973): 192-197.Ìý