What is the Minoan octopus vase made out of?

Minoan ceramic
This vase, found at Palaikastro, a wealthy site on the far eastern coast of Crete, is the perfect example of elite Minoan ceramic manufacture. It is 27 cm (about 10.5 inches) high, wheel-made, hand-painted, and meant to hold a valuable liquid—perhaps oil of some kind.

What motif is found in the octopus vase?

Common motifs are creatures of the sea, not surprising since a large part of the commerce and diet of these peoples came from fishing boats that plied the waters of the Mediterranean. Here, in a very representative example, a bold painting of an octopus glides around and covers the surface of this flask.

What characterizes the Marine Style of Minoan art?

The contemporary Marine Style, meanwhile, is characterised by detailed, naturalistic depictions of octopuses, argonauts, starfish, triton shells, sponges, coral, rocks and seaweed. Further, the Minoans took full advantage of the fluidity of these sea creatures to fill and surround the curved surfaces of their pottery.

What was the Minoan vase used for?

The wares themselves were beaked jugs, cups, pyxides (or small boxes), chalices, pithoi (very large hand-made vases, sometimes over 1.7m high, used for storing oil, wine and grain, elaborately decorated and often inscribed with Linear A describing their contents) with occasional fruit stands, craters and rhytons ( …

What kind of clay jar is the octopus jar?

The Octopus Storage Jar is made of ceramic and was produced sometime between the years of 1500 and 1450 BC [2]. It has three handles and stands at 75 centimeters tall [3]. In the background there are pieces of coral and seaweed to fill in the spaces between the octopus’s tentacles.

What was the culture of the Minoans?

The Minoan culture was centered on the island of Crete, but extended to other nearby islands, including Thera and Rhodes. They may have colonized the Anatolian coast at Miletus and elsewhere. Through the extension of trade, they influenced the developing Greek culture on the mainland and other Aegean islands.

What is a Minoan octopus?

Description. 1500-1450 BCE. The Octopus Flask is an example of Minoan New Palace Period pottery. Made to celebrate the sea, this Kamares Ware jug is covered in decoration of marine life. The jug is round with a small opening at the top and has two small, round handles on either side of the neck.

Who created the octopus vase?

Using dark slip on the surface of the clay, the Minoan painter of this vessel filled the center with a charming octopus, swimming diagonally, with tentacles extended out to the full perimeter of the flask and wide eyes that stare out at the viewer with an almost cartoon-like friendliness.

What is an octopus jar?

Where was the octopus jar found?

The Octopus Storage Jar from Knossos currently resides at the Ashmolean Museum cutesy of the government of Crete. It was discovered by Sir Arthur Evans during an excavation of Knossos, the capital of the ancient Minoan cuinoans and is featured on many of the pieces of pottery produced during this period [1].

What was civilization like for the Minoans on Crete?

The Minoans were not only farmers of olives, but fine craftsmen, making pieces of jewelry, pottery, seals and figurines. Their bronze work places this civilization in the Bronze Age. At the height of their civilization, between 2,000-1400 BC, the Minoans developed a palace-centered civilization.

How did the Minoans get to Crete?

The Minoan period saw extensive trade by Crete with Aegean and Mediterranean settlements, particularly those in the Near East. Through traders and artists, Minoans cultural influence reached beyond Crete to the Cyclades, the Old Kingdom of Egypt, copper-bearing Cyprus, Canaan and the Levantine coast and Anatolia.

When did the Minoans make the octopus flask?

1500-1450 BCE. The Octopus Flask is an example of Minoan New Palace Period pottery. Made to celebrate the sea, this Kamares Ware jug is covered in decoration of marine life.The jug is round with a small opening at the top and has two small, round handles on either side of the neck.

What kind of pottery did the Minoans make?

The Octopus Flask is an example of Minoan New Palace Period pottery. Made to celebrate the sea, this Kamares Ware jug is covered in decoration of marine life.The jug is round with a small opening at the top and has two small, round handles on either side of the neck.

What type of pottery is the octopus flask?

What does the octopus jar from Knossos represent?

The Octopus Jar from Knossos represents the melding of Minoan and Mycenean cultures. Other Minoan octopus jars have very different shapes and art styles, styles that are more classically Minoan. As the Myceneans invaded and brought their own culture to the island of Crete, the push and pull of these conflicting nations created this beautiful jar.