Museum of: Athens
    Name of the artefact: Large stirrup jars with Linear B inscription
   
Clay wheel-made stirrup-jar bearing a Linear B inscription.
                                 
 
WHERE IS IT AND MAIN CHARACTERISTICS
  
STATE
Department:
Prehistoric
Preservation:
 Good
Inventory number:
7628
Restauration:
 Restored
Name of the artefact:
Large stirrup jars with Linear B inscription
Completeness:
 Complete
Object type:
Vessel/Anphora
  
Material:
Clay
Methof of manufacture:
Wheel-made
Decoration type:
Painting
Distinctive mark:
Script
DIMENSIONS
  
PERIOD OF USE
Length (mm):
-
Epoque:
Late Bronge Age
Heigth (mm):
425
Culture:
Mycenaean
Diameter (mm):
98 max - 115 min
Period:
Late Helladic
Width (mm):
-
Face:
LH IIIB-
Thickness (mm):
-
Absolute chronology:
13 century BC
Weight (g):
-
DISCOVERY
Date:
1952
Country:
Greece
District:
Peloponnese
Town hall affiliation:
Nauplion
 
Village:
Mycenae
Discovery findspot:
Acropolis of Mycenae, area of the “poros fortifica
Condition of discovery:
Archaeological excavation
Discovery type:
Deposit
 
ANALYSES – DETERMINATIONS
 
FILLED IN BY
Type:
-
Name:
Alexandra Christopoulou
Laboratory:
-
Institution:
National Archaeological Museum - Greece
No./Code:
-
Date:
22/11/2005
 
DEEPENINGS

Morphology of the object:
Clay wheel made stirrup-jar. The base is flat and rather small to support the tall ovoid-conical body. The two heavy vertical handles on the shoulder would be perfectly functionable to the size as well as the content of this utensil. The spout has been made off-centre on the shoulder and this peculiarity was most probably an imitation from similar but smaller in size stirrup vases, which had the same content, that is oil.

Decoration:
The vase has a simple linear decoration with pale red colour onto the yellowish surfase. It consists of double horizontal bands round the shoulder and another simple band at the lower body.

Inscription:
There is an inscription in the Linear B script on the shoulder of the vase. The length of the inscription is 0,17 cm, the height of each ideogramm been 0,07 cm. This inscription is constituted out of five ideogramms. Its transliteration is: e-ra , ka-ta-ro. The meaning is either“virgin oil”( which in the greek language is «έλαιο καθαρό»), or “to Hera (the) pure”, i.e. to the Goddess Hera this pure (virgin oil) is dedicated.

Analogies:
The Linear B is the mycenaean script deciphered by Michael Ventris in 1950s. There is a good number of inscribed stirrup-jars in all the mycenaean citadels of the greek mainland as well as in the post-minoan palaces in Crete. There are also the clay tablets with linear B script from the famous archives of the palace of Nestor (see object no Ta 709-712)

Interpretation:
Petrographic analysis of a substancial number of srirrup-jars from the mycenaean palace at Mycenae has shown, that a large number of this type of vessels was imported from West Crete, possibly also from the Knossos region. Mycenae in this period, 13th cent. BC., was an active participant in the trade of oil or wine implied by the lively traffic in stirrup-jars. Oil, perhaps perfumed, and wine, produced in quantity in Crete were imported to mainland greek centres such as Mycenae, and used locally or perhaps repackaged into stirrup-jars, inscribed this time, for redistribution or re-export.
Bibliography:
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