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An ancient ceramic vessel, potentially a red wine ladle, from southern Italy.
(Image credit: Getty Images)
FAST FACTS
Call: Daunian kyathos
What it is: A painted, one-handled ceramic cup or ladle
Where it is from: Foggia, Italy
When it was made: Sixth century B.C.
Archaeologists excavated the Daunian city of Herdonia, in the contemporary province of Foggia, for 4 years and found that the city was among the main locations where Daunian potters produced the “extraordinary” vessels “that rank among the finest products of pre-Roman Italian ceramics,” Popular Archaeology reportedThe Daunians’ uncommon design of ceramic decor can be seen in their take on the single-handled cup that art historians call a kyathos. The base is a little, rimmed plate about 5 inches (12.7 centimeters) in size, and a human figure with raised arms and wide-open eyes has actually been connected to the side as a manage. The figure is embellished with geometric styles, and an elegant, bird-like figure remains in the middle of the base. This kyathos was discovered at Herdonia and remains in the collection of the Civic Museum of Foggia
A variety of Daunian ceramics are likewise kept in the Herdonia Archaeological Museumwhose logo design consists of a comparable human-handled kyathos, along with in global collections at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City and the British Museum in London
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The specific function of the Daunian kyathos is unidentified, there are 2 primary concepts. One is that it functioned as a white wine ladle. The ancient Greeks utilized a vessel called a kyathoswhich was a cup with a high vertical manage, to dip into containers of red wine and blend with water at banquets. The Daunian examples a little precede the typical usage of the kyathos in Greece and look more like a bowl than a cup, so it is uncertain if they served the very same function.
A 2nd hypothesis is that lots of Daunian ceramics were utilized in spiritual and recovery contexts. In a 2023 research study research studyresearchers checked a series of Daunian ceramics and identified opium alkaloids in the majority of them, supporting the concept that some vessels were utilized to develop opium mixes, possibly to cause spiritual hypnotic trances or to assist in discomfort relief. It is unclear, however, if the distinct look of Daunian ceramics can be discussed by opiate usage.
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