| Bocchoris vase | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Material | Egyptian faience |
| Size | 22.2 cm high |
| Writing | Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs |
| Created | 8th century BCE |
| Discovered | Bocchoris' Tomb,Monterozzi necropolis, Tarquinia (Italy) |
| Present location | Tarquinia National Museum |
TheBocchoris vase is a ceramic container dating fromancient Egypt. It was found in 1895 in a tomb atTarquinia, and is now in theNational Museum at Tarquinia (22.2 cm high; Museum inv. no. RC 2010[1]). The vessel, often also labelled assitula and made ofEgyptian faience, bears an inscription with the names of the24th DynastypharaohWahkare Bakenrenef (Ancient Greek:Bocchoris) who ruled about 720 to 715 BC. It shows the king between the Egyptian goddessNeith and the godHorus in the middleregister, on one side and on the other between Horus andThoth. In the lower register are shownKushite prisoners between monkeys eatingdates from palm trees, a depiction which was considered by EgyptologistToby Wilkinson as racial propaganda.[2] The vessel is an important evidence for long distance trade in the 9th and 8th century BC. It is furthermore of some importance for dating earlier phases ofEtruscan culture in Italy. Because of the good preservation of the vessel, it has been argued that it came very shortly after it was made into the Etruscan tomb.
The place of production of the vase is under discussion. The object appears on the first view as fully Egyptian. Thehieroglyphs are readable. However, some researchers regard the vase as a product of aPhoenician workshop, since it is known that the Phoenicians often produced objects in Egyptian style.[3] The Phoenician origin was suggested after the discovery of a similar – yet of a somewhat lower quality – vessel nearMotya, Sicily. However, the finding at Tarquinia of two situliform vessels with the names ofPsamtik I andPsamtik II respectively, again suggested aLower Egyptian origin of the Bocchoris vase.[4]
The vase was found in 1895 in a tomb chamber with a pitched roof and a bench. The tomb owner might be a woman judging from the objects found: gold foil plaques might have adorned clothing; many Egyptian beads were found (two beads show the Egyptian godBes); there were bronze and pottery vessels.[5] Due to the Bocchoris vase being the best known object from the tomb, bymetonymy the whole tomb is often called "Bocchoris Tomb",[6] despite not having any connection with the actual burial place of king Bakenrenef/Bocchoris, which is still unknown.
