Like a Duck to Water – Birds and Liquids in the Aegean Bronze Age

Abstract

This study examines the relationships between birds and liquids in the Minoan, Cycladic and Mycenaean cultures. Objects under investigation are bird-shaped vessels, bird figurines attached to vessels, and some special pouring vessels decorated with painted bird motifs, which are listed in an accompanying catalogue. Analysis of this material demonstrates that images of both doves and waterbirds were consistently linked to liquid-containing vessels, but there are significant chronological and regional variations regarding the preference for bird species. Another aspect fluctuating with period and place is the type of contact created between liquid and bird motif. Three categories dividable into three or two subtypes can be recognised, which mainly differ from each other by the degree of proximity that is established between the fluid and bird motif. It is argued that these differences reflect variations in the perception of birds regarding their relationship to liquids. While a direct and active participation of birds in the flow of liquids such as water and milk is observable in many Cretan and Cycladic objects, the artefacts from the Greek Mainland show a different pattern, whereby less direct contact combined with a stylised rendering suggests that the bird motif was accorded a more passive role by symbolising the positive effect of the flow of water. These findings contribute to recent scholarly debates on human–animal relationships and ontologies in the Aegean Bronze Age.

Sea Brought Onto Land: Seascape Imagery in the Cycladic Pottery From Phylakopi (Melos) in the National Archaeological Museum, Athens

“…Firstly, an art contextualisation of the iconography focusing on factors such as the identification of the iconographic subject, the artist's intention, a chaîne opératoire of production, the social context of the depiction and its likely reception (Chapin 2020). Secondly, as the subject matter partially concerns marine animals, a 'folk taxonomic' view is advocated (Hunn 2007;Binnberg 2019). This perspective allows for a popular identification of species classes (i.e., small fish, large fish, dolphin, octopus) rather than a scientific taxonomic approach.…”