Ancient Greek - Cypriote Material Culture Greek Pyxis Lid. Cyprus, circa 500 B.C.

Cypriote Culture vase Lid 500 BC

Edité par 500 B.C.E.

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[Ancient Greek - Cypriote Material Culture.] Cypriote Greek Pyxis Lid. Cyprus, circa 500 B.C. Terracotta lid with painted circular decoration; approximately 3.25 inches in diameter. Ancient Cypriote Greek terracotta lid from a pyxis, a small cylindrical container widely used in the Classical Mediterranean world for the storage of cosmetics, jewelry, medicinal compounds, and other personal items. The lid presents a carefully rendered painted circular design composed of concentric bands framing a central motif, executed in dark pigment against a warm earthen surface. Such geometric decoration reflects the enduring visual language of Cypriot ceramic production in the late Archaic to early Classical period, when local artisans synthesized indigenous Cypriot traditions with broader Hellenic stylistic influences. Pyxides were closely associated with domestic and personal life-particularly with women's spaces and practices-frequently appearing in funerary contexts and archaeological deposits that illuminate gendered patterns of adornment, ritual preparation, and household economy. The survival of a lid independent of its vessel underscores both the fragility of ancient ceramic assemblages and the archaeological importance of even partial objects. Lids were functional components that completed the sealed container, protecting valuable contents; their decorative surfaces often bore simple but symbolically resonant motifs. In Cypriot contexts, circular banding and central devices may reflect continuity with earlier Bronze Age ceramic conventions while also aligning with wider Greek geometric aesthetics. As an object dating to circa 500 B.C., this lid belongs to a formative period in eastern Mediterranean cultural exchange, when Cyprus occupied a strategic position linking Greek, Near Eastern, and Egyptian spheres of influence. Standalone ceramic elements such as this contribute to the material record of ancient domestic life and the circulation of cosmetic and medicinal practices in the Classical world. Surface wear consistent with age; minor abrasions to painted decoration; structurally intact. Overall condition: Very Good for a ceramic artifact of this antiquity.

N° de réf. du vendeur 10583

Détails bibliographiques

• Titre: Ancient Greek - Cypriote Material Culture Greek Pyxis Lid. Cyprus, circa 500 B.C.
• Éditeur: 500 B.C.E.
• Catalogues du vendeur:
  • International & Global Culture