Bronze lebes (cauldron)
Archaeological museum of Chora
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Bronze lebes (cauldron)
1600 CE – 1400 BCE
Archaeological museum of Chora
Vagenas burial circle Ano Englianos
Height: 22.5 cm
Bronze lebes (cauldron), restored. From the Vagenas grave circle, at Ano Englianos, Chora. It has two raised handles, whose ends are attached to the vessel body, and resemble human hands. Similar bronze vessels, often imported from Crete, are common in the early mycenaean period, usually in the hands of the nobility. Vagenas grave circle, whose first use dates to the transition from the Middle to the Late Helladic period, is considered as an early form of a tholos tomb. It is located very close to the palace of Nestor, and it has been estimated that it contained at least 27 adult burials with rich offering, an indication for the existence of a powerful local elite, before the great acme of the palace of Nestor.