Askos
An askos (Greek ἀσκός askós " hose ", 'plural ἀσκοί askoí) is a flat, bulbous vessel from ancient times with a narrow spout, to which the handle is attached to the back. It gets its name from the visual resemblance to a wineskin, although it was not used for this vessel shape in ancient times.
Askoi have been around since at least the 11th century BC. Made of clay and, like vases, mostly painted with figurative jewelry in the respective style of the time. Among other things, they were used to store oil and refill lamps. The small versions with a narrow neck were used to store liquids that were used in smaller quantities, such as perfumes, honey or vinegar. They were also used for libations at funeral ceremonies.
Among the Etruscans, the shape was particularly popular in the 4th century BC. Commonly used as a small oil dispenser, often in the shape of a duck. Special Hellenistic forms with two spouts date mainly to the 2nd century BC. The 1st century BC Bronze askoi as serving vessels for wine, as they were found several times in the Vesuvius cities, belong to the BC and 1st century AD.
The term Askos is also used in connection with similarly shaped (handleless) vessels from the Neolithic . In 2015 such a vessel appeared for the first time in the Tollensetal . In the Bronze and Iron Ages of the Mediterranean area, Askoi were common as a jug shape with a handle, but their beginnings go back to the early Neolithic of the Balkans up to about 6000 BC. BC back. There they were probably used as vessels for libations. A vessel of this type belonging to the stitch band ceramics (4900-4500 BC) comes from the Polish Dobre in the district of Wrocławski , two more were found in Großjena and in Braunsdorf in the then district of Merseburg . The vessel from Großjena was assigned to the Salzmünder culture (approx. 3400-3000 BC) and the fragment from Braunsdorf, which can be reconstructed as an Askos with a ribbon handle on the back, to the Baalberg culture (4200-3100 BC).
literature
- Johannes Irmscher , Renate Johne (ed.): Lexicon of antiquity . 9th revised edition, Bibliografisches Institut, Leipzig 1987, ISBN 3-323-00026-9 .
- Andrew J. Clark, Maya Elston, Mary Louise Hart: Understanding Greek Vases. A Guide to Terms, Styles and Techniques. J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles 2002, ISBN 0-89236-599-4 , p. 70.
- Lili Frankenstein : Askos a . In: Paulys Realencyclopadie der classischen Antiquity Science (RE). Supplementary volume III, Stuttgart 1918, Col. 171-173.
Web links
Remarks
- ↑ C. Michael Schirren: No duck! an Askos vessel from the Tollense , in: Archeology in Germany 02 | 2017, p. 44 f.
- ↑ C. Michael Schirren: No duck! A depot with an Askos vessel from the Tollense near Klempenow ( Memento of the original from April 13, 2017 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , State Archeology Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.
