Cycladic spool-shaped pyxis

The pyxis was a container for jewellery and other small articles in antiquity. In the Cyclades of the 3rd millennium BC, a pyxis could be made of clay, marble and probably wood. This marble spool-shaped pyxis dates to Early Cycladic II (2800-2300 BC) and is a development of the simpler cylindrical variant of the Early Cycladic I period (3200-2800 BC). The projecting lid and base together with the successive horizontal grooves that decorate the body, give the vessel the shape of a spool. The body has higher walls, chamfered at the top to receive the lid. In several cases there are one or two pairs of corresponding holes in the projecting sections of the lid and the base, so that the two parts of the pyxis could be fastened with twine, leather thong or string and the vase could be carried or hung safely.