Stirrup jar

Archaeological museum of Chora

  • _1490 2
    _1490 2
_1490 2
_1490 2
_1490 2
_1490 2

Stirrup jar

13rd century BCE

Archaeological museum of Chora

palace of Nestor, Room 53, Ano Englianos, Messenia

Stirrup jar

Terracotta

Height: 34 cm

Creative Commons License CC BY-NC-ND 4

Stirrup jar from Room 53 in the place of Nestor. Piriform body, mended by many fragments. Brownish-grey clay, partially red due to the fire that destroyed the palace. It has an obliquely placed spout and a central closed false-neck, which is connected with the two vertical strap handles. Brownish-black to red paint, due to uneven firing. Two groups of bands around the belly. A cross on the disc and a line around its perimeter. Stirrup jars were among the most common shapes of mycenaean pottery. In the palace of Nestor they were used mostly for the storage of oil, either plain or scented.