| Derveni Krater | |
|---|---|
 Inv. B1,Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki. Detail shown below. | |
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| Material | Bronze with 15% tin |
| Height | 90.5 centimetres (35.6 in) |
| Weight | 40 kilograms (88 lb) |
| Writing | Funerary inscription in the Thessalian dialect of ancient Greek |
| Created | 4th century BC |
| Discovered | 1962 Derveni 40°43′13″N22°58′17.2″E / 40.72028°N 22.971444°E /40.72028; 22.971444 |
TheDerveni Krater is avolutekrater,[1] the most elaborate of its type,[2] discovered in 1962 in a tomb atDerveni, not far fromThessaloniki, and displayed at theArchaeological Museum of Thessaloniki. Weighing 40 kg, it is made of a bronze with a hightin content of about 15%, which endows it with a superb golden sheen without use of anygold at all.[3] It is dated to the 4th century BC, and was probably made in Athens. Large metalwork vessels are extremely rare survivals inAncient Greek art, and the Derveni Krater is the outstanding survival fromHellenistic art, as theVix Krater is from theArchaic period.
The krater was discovered buried, as a funerary urn for aThessalian aristocrat whose name is engraved on the vase: Astiouneios, son of Anaxagoras, fromLarissa. Kraters (mixing bowls) were vessels used for mixing undiluted wine with water and probably various spices as well, the drink then being ladled out to fellow banqueters at ritual or festive celebrations. When excavated, the Derveni Krater contained 1968.31 g of burnt bones that belonged to a man aged 35–50 and to a younger woman.
The vase is composed of two leaves of metal which were hammered then joined, although the handles and thevolutes (scrolls) were cast and attached. The main alloy used gives it a golden colour, but at various points the decoration is worked with different metals as overlays or inlays of silver, copper, bronze and other base metals. Such highlights include the silver garlands of vine and ivy around the krater, the silver and copper stripes on thevipers at the handles, and the silver orbs of the eyes of the volute masks.[4]
The top part of the krater is decorated with motifs both ornamental (gadroons, palm leaves, acanthus, garlands) and figurative: the top of the neck presents afrieze of animals and most of all, four statuettes (two maenads, Dionysus and a sleeping satyr) are casually seated on the shoulders of the vase, in a pose foreshadowing that of theBarberini Faun. On the belly, the frieze in low relief, 32.6 cm tall, is devoted to the divinitiesAriadne andDionysus, surrounded by revellingsatyrs andmaenads of the Bacchicthiasus, or ecstatic retinue. There is also a warrior wearing only one sandal, whose identity is disputed:Pentheus,Lycurgus of Thrace, or perhaps the "one-sandalled"Jason ofArgonaut fame.
The exact date and place of making are disputed. Barr-Sharrar thinks it was made around 370 BC in Athens. Based on the dialectal forms used in the inscription, some commentators think it was fabricated inThessaly at the time of the revolt of theAleuadae, around 350 BC. Others date it between 330 and 320 BC and credit it to bronzesmiths of the royal court ofAlexander the Great.
The funerary inscription on the krater reads:
ΑΣΤΙΟΥΝΕΙΟΣ ΑΝΑΞΑΓΟΡΑΙΟΙ ΕΣ ΛΑΡΙΣΑΣ
The inscription is in theThessalian, variant of theAeolian dialect:Aστιούνειος Aναξαγοραίοι ἐς Λαρίσας (Astioúneios Anaxagoraīoi es Larísas), "Astiouneios, son of Anaxagoras, fromLarissa."[5] If transcribed inAttic, the inscription could read:Aστίων Aναξαγόρου ἐκ Λαρίσης (Astíōn Anaxagórou ek Larísēs).
Media related toDerveni krater at Wikimedia Commons
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