Squat Alabastron

A stylized, wave-like pattern representing rocks decorates the sides of this Mycenaean squat alabastron. The S-shaped design above the rocks is regularly found in combination with the rock pattern in this period. Three sets of concentric circles, a scheme of decoration that began around 1400 B.C., decorate the bottom of the alabastron.

The squat alabastron was a storage vessel. Holding unguents or perfumed oils, it was used in everyday life, but it was also left in temples and in tombs, filled with offerings. Rather than being made from terracotta, early examples of this shape were often carved from alabaster, hence the name alabastron. Although scholars do not know where this alabastron comes from, many vessels of this form and decoration have been found in the area of southern Greece known as the Argolid.