Hey dear community, I would like to welcome you to my new post and hope you had a day that brought some interesting experiences into your life! In this article, I would like to discuss a historical topic and hope you can expand your knowledge.
Recently I had the opportunity to photograph this Askos which is made of clay and comes probably from the 4th century BC and it was particularly popular in ancient Greece as well as in Italy and there especially among the Etruscans. After the production process, it was usually painted elaborately as well as in this specimen which is painted with lion bodies and it was considered a storage vessel for various things and most often oil, spice, honey fragrances or other liquids were stored in it. That the spout had the shape of an animal was widespread and there were also variations with several spouts and it was also an important object for rituals in ancient times. The larger Askoi were mainly used to store oil as well as to fill lamps and in the smaller ones spices were often stored and it was also used as a vessel to deliver gifts and these holes that can be seen in this specimen had the advantage that you could first fill it with spices or other things and then dip it into a container with liquids such as a Krater that was filled with wine without the stored things getting into the vessel and through the sieve, it was practical that the things did not reach the container and if you also want to learn more about Kraters, you will find my contribution here. Over time, the methods of production also changed and different variations were created with different shapes or sizes, which were adapted according to the desired purpose and bronze was also used for the production.
Thanks for stopping by and I hope you could learn something new about history! I captured these pictures with my Camera Sony Alpha 6000 plus 55-210 mm lens.