Ephyra bowl
As Ephyra shells , Ephyräischer cup or Ephyrischer cup refers to a genus of ceramics from Cretan-Minoan period , the v to the 1450th BC to 1350 BC Is dated. These are bowls with one or two handles with a low foot, also called kylix , which are decorated with a motif on the side . They were first excavated at Korakou near Corinth . As the excavator Carl Blegen considered the site to be the ancient Ephyra , he named the new ceramic Ephyra bowls.
description
The archaeologist Arthur Evans suspected that the shape of the Ephyra bowl goes back to Minoan models. However, this has been refuted. Today it is assumed that it is a painted variant of the Yellow Miny ceramic . The Yellow Miny models come from the late Helladic I and II. The clay used has a pink-yellow-brown to greenish-yellow color. The surface is polished smooth. The painting is done with orange-red to purple-brown to almost black color. Different color nuances and color gradients can be traced back to the firing process.
The painting was done on both surfaces between the handles. A small ornament was also often painted below the handles. There were two groups of motifs: floral and maritime. In the specimens that came from the mainland, the insides and the edges of the vessels were almost never painted. They were also fired hard and were very balanced in shape and painting. The Cretan specimens are imitations of the mainland goblets. They're not as hard-fired and less balanced in execution. The motifs appear too big for the vessels. The inside and the edges of these are often painted with brown-black paint.
An artist from a workshop in Argolida or Corinthia created the new style. He developed the shape of the vessel from a yellow miniature bowl. He chose motifs such as tentacles of an argonaut , rosettes , spiral three-passages , lilies and other flowers. The special thing about this style was that the artist overcame the horror vacui , the peculiarity of the time to fill every empty space with patterns. He also selected the motifs and their dimensions in such a way that the overall picture with the shape of the vessel produced a balanced impression. In this art style, the Mycenaean mainland was the pioneer for the first time and the Minoan Crete , which previously shaped the taste in art, tried to copy the style.
Ephyra bowls were found on the mainland in the settlements of Mycenae , Tiryns , Zygouries , Eutresis , Korakou, Agia Irini on Kea and in Phylakopi on the island of Milos and in the tombs of Prosymna . In Crete, this pottery was found in the graves near Knossos (for example in the temple grave ). In Ialysos , Rhodes , imports were found both from the mainland and from Crete. Fritz Schachermeyr divided the vessels into genuinely Ephyrian, i.e. those that were produced in the Argolis or Corinthia, and sub-Ephyrian, which later imitated the style.
Ephyric pottery
Today, in addition to the Ephyra bowls, jugs with a corresponding painting also belong to the Ephyrian style. These are bulbous jugs with a beak-shaped spout and a handle. They usually have similar motifs on three sides as the skyphoi. The neck and shoulder of the vessel are also decorated while the base is dark.
Ephyric jugs were found in the settlements of Mycenae and Korakou and in the tombs of Athens , Chalkida , Iolkos , Pylos and Ialysos.
Web links
literature
- Alan Wace : Ephyraean Ware in The Annual of the British School at Athens , Volume 51, London 1955, pp. 123-127
- Carl Blegen : Korakou: a prehistoric settlement near Corinth , Boston and New York 1921, pp. 54–57 ( online )
- Fritz Schachermeyr : The Mycenaean time and the manners of Thera , Vienna 1976, pp. 239–248