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2006.38ab.T, Early Cycladic Cylindrical Pyxis with
lid |
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This cylindrical incised ware pyxis is made from gritty, brownish-gray clay and is thick-walled, with a flat bottom, vertical sides and a slightly domed lid.(1) It has two vertical tubular lugs (holes which are probably for attaching a string or cord). Sixteen incised lines divide the surface of the body into vertical zones of unequal width and finely incised striations form a zigzag pattern in-between.(2) This design pattern is known as "herringbone" and consists of diagonal lines, arranged within parallel bands at alternating angles. These bands may be horizontal or vertical; on this pot they are vertical.(3) A pyxis is a small box with a lid made of clay. Pyxides were probably used for cosmetics, trinkets or other small objects.(4) Most Cycladic incised ware pieces are Pelos Ware made by the Grotta-Pelos culture, probably on the island of Melos (5) which lies between Greece and Crete.
The techniques used to create this pot are not well documented; however what we do know is that these pots were made by hand rather than thrown on a wheel. The incised lines were made while the clay was still wet. Incised decoration is seen most frequently in the Early Cycladic period, although it does survive until the later Cycladic period.(6) The "herringbone" design was the most common motif for the earliest phase of Cycladic pottery. Commonly the incisions were filled with a white chalk-like substance to enhance their appearance.
There are several reasons to believe that the purpose for producing this pyxis was so that it could be used as a grave-good. In general, pottery found in graves tends to be more frequently decorated and to comprise a more limited range of shapes than settlement pottery -- some shapes are rarely found except in graves, e. g. cylindrical pyxides.(7) The archaeological record in the Cyclades consists of far more grave sites than sites of occupation. Pots that are less carefully made and more poorly fired than those found in settlements might have been made specifically for funerary use.(8) This particular pot seems to meet all of these requirements; it is highly decorated, and not fired as well as a pot made for everyday use. These facts combined with the information about its shape make it more than probably a grave good item.
This vase was originally published by Hara Tzavella-Evjen, in "Greek and Roman Vases and Statuettes from the University of Colorado Collection ," Deltion 28 (1973) Athens 1975, pp. 192-197.
Author: Heather McKeown
(1) Coleman., Early Cycladic Clay Vessels p. 110
(2) Tzavella-Evjen, Hara. Greek and Roman Vases and Statuettes from the University of Colorado Collection (A?HNAI: 1975) p.192 Zervos, L'art des Cyclades , figs. 81, 82, 84. Doumas, Early Cycladic Art , p.24, fig. 90. ADelt. 17 (1961-62): Meletai, Pl. 73ß.
(3) Coleman., Early Cycladic Clay Vessels p. 110
(4) John E. Coleman., Early Cycladic Clay Vessels ed. Jürgen Thimme, trans. Pat Getz-Preziosi (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1977) p. 110
(5) Philip P. Betancourt., The History of Minoan Pottery . (New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 1985) p.32.
(6) Coleman., Early Cycladic Clay Vessels p. 109
