Vessel with human and animal figures

Handmade spherical vase with a stable base and two side handles in the upper third. It is decorated in a wine-coloured tone with grid-like geometric motifs in the upper part of the body, as well as human figures and natural images covering the whole piece. The main scene is divided into two registers, separated by the schematic depiction of mountains. At the top, there are three human figures in profile with erect penises. In their hands they hold an unidentifiable object, which could have been a weapon or a ritual object. The figures are interspersed with various animals with twisted horns that bear resemblance to an addax. In the lower register, there is a ‘parade of animals’, with backwards-curving horns, that may be goats or ibex. They are led by a nude human figure with an erect penis. The decoration on this vessel can be interpreted as a hunting scene or one of mountain grazing. It could also be seen as a depiction of a magical/religious ritual, linked to resurrection of the deceased as these vessels appeared in funerary contexts where they were used to hold food or offerings for the deceased.