Three Pateræ and a “Phoenician-Cypriot” cup
Photogallery
Three Pateræ and a “Phoenician-Cypriot” cup
This valuable imported vessel, produced from the ninth to the first half of the seventh century B.C. and widespread throughout the Mediterranean region – Greece, the Aegean Islands, Palestine and Assyria – was confined to aristocratic Etruscan tombs during the Orientalising period. In Italy they have been found only in the sites of Cerveteri, Palestrina and Pontecagnano, emanated by Etruscan culture. The production area remains uncertain and is variously located between Cyprus, Syria and Phoenicia. In these cups, of Phoenician craftsmanship, the Egyptian-style setting combines with the narrative element of Neo-Assyrian historical relief in the depiction of themes linked to war and kingship. These items were of almost exclusively royal attribution also on account of their quality and technical virtuosity, according to the eloquent inscriptions engraved on two specimens from Cyprus.