Cretan Relief Pithoi in Dr. Giamalakes' Collection

Abstract

Many visitors to Crete have enjoyed Dr. Giamalakes' hospitality in Heraklion and have seen the very fine collection of antiquities found on Cretan soil which he has gathered together, and it is with a lively sense of gratitude that, on his suggestion, I make some part of that collection known to those who have not had the good fortune to see it. Most of the collection is Minoan; but I begin with some of the most characteristic products of Hellenic Crete, the archaic relief pithoi.My descriptions are based on Dr. Giamalakes' own account of his pieces. The photographs are due to Mr. N. Lambrinides.These pieces offer a useful supplement to the known corpus of Cretan archaic relief pithoi. The oldest is probably 2. Certainly it exhibits an earlier composition, and is closer to Oriental models, than any of the others. A fragment of pithos from Afrati, Ann. X–XII, fig. 45, 48, has a similar representation, which might come from the same mould. For the composition compare a fragment of a stamped pithos from Perachora, with two lions on their hind legs, separated by a floral ornament. Cf. also for the composition the pithos fragment from Plati, BSA XX, pl. 5c lower, which is also like in the proportions of the animals (there headless).