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Harvester Vase
Minoan carved stone vase of c. 1550 BC / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Harvester Vase is a Late Bronze Age stone rhyton, dating to about 1550 to 1500 BC, found at Hagia Triada, an ancient "palace" of the Minoan civilization in Crete. It is now in the Heraklion Archaeological Museum, and is an important example of Minoan art from the Neopalatial Period.
Harvester Vase | |
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Material | Black steatite |
Size | 4.5 inches (11 centimetres) (diameter) |
Created | c. 1550–1500 BC |
Period/culture | Neopalatial |
Discovered | Hagia Triada |
Present location | Heraklion Archaeological Museum |
Identification | AE 184 |
Culture | Minoan |
The vase was made in three parts, of which the lowest is missing and has been replaced in modern times with undecorated plaster. A band of relief running around the widest part of the vase depicts marching men, and has variously been interpreted as a harvest celebration, a religious procession, or a military scene.
The scene has been praised for its "impression of vital, rhythmic movement", though exactly what it shows has been much argued about. Two other Minoan stone vases with figural scenes of humans were found at Hagia Triada. The "Chieftain Cup" is probably by the same artist, perhaps working at the nearby palatial site of Knossos. The third is known as the "Boxer Vase".