Libation Vessel from Crete, c.1600-1450 BCE: this vessel is nearly 3,600 years old, and its body was carved from a solid piece of quartz
The body of this vessel was crafted from a block of rock crystal that was meticulously carved, hollowed-out, and polished. The collar was then adorned with discs of gilded ivory, and the handle was formed using fourteen rock crystal beads that were threaded along a length of bronze wire.
When measured from the base up to the rim, the vessel measures just 16.5cm (roughly 6.5 inches) tall.
Above: close-up of the spout, collar, and handle
Libation vessels (also known as rhyta) were often used to pour ritual offerings, including wine, water, honey, milk, olive oil, or grain, usually in honor of a deity or in remembrance of the dead. Ritual vessels were produced by ancient and prehistoric cultures throughout the world, but they were typically crafted from clay, ceramic, or metal; vessels made entirely from hardstone materials like rock crystal were exceptionally rare, especially during the Bronze Age.
This particular vessel is attributed to the Minoan culture -- a Bronze Age civilization that once inhabited the island of Crete. It was discovered in the ruins of the Central Sanctuary of Zakros.
Above: the rock crystal rhyton from Zakros
As the Heraklion Archaeological Museum describes:
This small libation vessel, a true masterpiece of Minoan art, is one of the most valuable ritual vessels of the Central Sanctuary of Zakros. The body and neck are made separately. The body of the rhyton is carved from a particularly large block of rock crystal. The vase was found shattered into hundreds of tiny pieces, which were restored with marvellous skill by the conservators of the Heraklion Archaeological Museum. The collar around the join between neck and body is decorated with gilded ivory discs. The tall, curved handle is formed of fourteen crystal beads threaded on bronze wire and was found almost intact during the excavation, with the beads still in place.
The skill of the Minoan craftsman is evident not only from the decorative details of the rhyton but also from the fact that they were able to create such a fine-walled vessel without cracking the particularly hard raw material. The aesthetic perfection of the rhyton is as impressive as the technical skill required to produce it. Its symbolic value as a ritual vessel is heightened by the precious ivory and the metals, all of which were imported to Crete from distant parts of the East Mediterranean.
Sources & More Info:
Heraklion Archaeological Museum: Rock Crystal Libation Vessel
World History Encyclopedia: Minoan Rock-Crystal Vase
Minoan Crete: Zakros
Harvard University: The Publication of the West Wing of the Minoan Palace of Kato Zakros
Ancient Greece: The Minoan Palace of Zakros
