Υστερομινωϊκή σαρκοφάγος από το χωρίον Μαρουλάς Ρεθύμνης
Part of : Αρχαιολογικά ανάλεκτα εξ Αθηνών ; Vol.VI, No.2, 1973, pages 315-323
Issue:
Pages:
315-323
Parallel Title:
LM sarcophagus from Maroulas near Rethymnon
Section Title:
Σκινδαλαμοί
Author:
Abstract:
The sarcophagus described here came from one of the tombs of the plundered LMIII cemetery at the village of Maroulas near Rethymnon and is now in the Rethymnon museum.DescriptionSize : Length of narrow side: 0,48 m of long side: 1,16 m.Height : ( without lid ) 1,04 m.Height of lid: 0,30 m.Red clay, brown paint, buff slip, shaded dark brown paint.Decoration :On the long sides : (figs. 1-2; drawings 1-2) Antithetic loops ( FM 63,7 ) filled with lines, cross- hatching and papyrus derivatives. On the one side there are smaller hatched loops attached to the main ones, a rather rare variation of this motive. A similar form is found on the cover of a LMIIIA 2 sarcophagus from Stavromenos near Rethymnon.The curving stripes ( FM 67 ) on the panels above the leg are common on LMIII sarcophagi.The lid and one of the narrow sides are undecorated. The pictorial scene on the second narrow side (fig. 3; drawing 3 ) shows a bull with a spear jutting out of its back. A man piercing the neck of the animal with a sword is depicted on the lower level. A second animal ( now headless ) is visible on the left corner between semicircular hatched leaves. The filling ornaments consist of a branch and concentric arcs.The whole scene is a repetition ofthat on the well - known sarcophagus from Armenoi. Both are evidently products not only of the same workshop but also of the same hand. The pictorial scenes on both sarcophagi offer evidence for a change in dress in the LMIIIB. The chiton - like dress of the men on the well - known sarcophagus from Episcopi now in Iera- petra is similar but filled in the X - ray technique and not crosshatched as on the Armenoi and Maroulas sarcophagi. Comparable figures but in long dress appear on the sarcophagus from Vatheianos Kampos and the pyxis from Kalami. The concentric arcs around the wounds and head of the bull are a detail which does not exist on the Armenoi sarcophagus. One wonders whether this is a conventional way of indicating the blood springing from the wounds of the animal. The second animal on the Maroulas sarcophagus is an ibex or deer by analogy to those represented on the one from Armenoi, where the animals suckle their young, an indication of their female sex. The ommission of these suckling young from the Maroulas sarcophagus probably shows that the animals were thought to be male.The associations of bull - hunting in general are interesting : The importance of the bull in Minoan cult is well established. The bulls and horns of consecration painted or modelled on sarcophagi point to an accentuated connection of the bull with burial customs in the LMIII.The problem in interpreting the scenes on both sarcophagi is whether they depict the hunting of wild animals or an attempt to capture them. The latter was done by skilled « cowboys » with the help of a net as shown on one of the Vapheio cups or armed with spears as on the ivory pyxis from Ka- tsampas. On both sarcophagi the swords have pierced the animals while the spears jut out of their backs. It seems that this is a proper hunt of wild animals which could be dangerous, as the fallen hunter on the Armenoi sarcophagus indicates. The ritual aspect of this scene is emphasized by the man holding a double axe. The combination of animal hunt with bull capture on a sarcophagus from Tana- gra in Boeotia, an area showing strong Minoan influence observed not only on sarcophagi but also on LMIIIB sherds from Thebes is characteristic.The importance of the bull in ritual and burial customs is very strong already in the LMIIIA1 sarcophagus from Aghia Triada. The big bulls accompanied by horns of consecration and double axes on another sarcophagus from Armenoi illustrates the same point, and so does the cow suckling her calf on a sarcophagus from Pa- chyammos, a product of the same workshop as the famous Episcopi sarcophagus referred to above.Both the Maroulas and Armenoi sarcophagi should be dated early in the LMIIIB.
Subject:
Subject (LC):
Keywords:
Κρήτη, μινωική εποχή
Notes:
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