Lidded funerary urn with stamped decoration

The object consists of a round container on a foot and a domed lid with a rounded, three-tiered knob (also called a jewel-shaped knob). The lid is held in place by a rim on the container matching a groove on the lid. A curled handle was attached to the body on one side. Almost the entire surface, even parts of the handle, is covered with geometric patterns that were impressed onto the clay surface with stamps. The decorative motifs of various shapes include bands of flowers, a key-hole shaped pattern and dense rows of double-circles. An incidental, natural ash-glaze covers parts of the urn which gives the surface a shine and an overall dark greenish-grey tone. The wall blistered up in several locations. Four holes were pierced equidistant around the knob on the lid. Their function is unclear.

This is a typical example of urns used for holding the ashes of the deceased after cremation during the middle period of Unified Silla (668-935). Cremation was introduced to the Silla kingdom through the Buddhist religion and was adopted as a common practice during the Unified Silla period when Buddhism flourished. The crowded geometric patterns achieved by impressing the leather-hard clay surface with a stamp are characteristic for these type of vessels.