The face of a smiling monkey decorates a sixth-century B.C. terracotta cup found in the eastern Aegean area. Called a kantharos, this drinking cup is believed to have originated in Cyprus or eastern Greece, where figured vases were common. The matte glaze and the use of grainy clay suggests that it was made by a Cypriot potter inspired by eastern Greek models, though there are other possibilities. The kantharos may be connected to Rhodes, where artifacts in the shape of monkeys have been found, or to Crete, which enjoyed a strong link with Egypt in the 14th and 13th centuries B.C., and which may have imported monkeys and other exotic animals.
Kantharoi (plural), characterized by handles curving high over a deep bowl, were very popular in Etruria (Italy) for drinking wine; by the late seventh and sixth centuries B.C. they had spread throughout the Mediterranean region. In Greek mythology the cup was associated with Dionysos (called Bacchus by the Romans), the god of wine, who was associated with drink and orgiastic parties (bacchanalia). Examples of kantharoi have been found in the shape of a woman’s head or decorated with satyrs, the half-human creatures who followed Dionysos in his wanderings.
The face of a smiling monkey decorates a sixth-century B.C. terracotta cup found in the eastern Aegean area. Called a kantharos, this drinking cup is believed to have originated in Cyprus or eastern Greece, where figured vases were common. The matte glaze and the use of grainy clay suggests that it was made by a Cypriot potter inspired by eastern Greek models, though there are other possibilities. The kantharos may be connected to Rhodes, where artifacts in the shape of monkeys have been found, or to Crete, which enjoyed a strong link with Egypt in the 14th and 13th […]
You have already read your free article for this month. Please join the BAS Library or become an All Access member of BAS to gain full access to this article and so much more.