Protector of the city, or the art of storage in early Greece

Abstract

AbstractIn the Late Geometric and Orientalizing periods, storage vessels with elaborate relief decoration were produced in several Aegean islands, most notably the northern Cyclades, Crete and Rhodes. This article interprets the amphora-shaped reliefpithosas a function of prevailing social, economic and living conditions. It is argued that rather than being inspired by funerary or votive uses, the reliefpithoiof the Tenian-Boeotian group are the material expression of the vital importance of food storage, which not only ensured subsistence but was an essential prerequisite for social differentiation. Reliefpithoiwere a form of conspicuous storage. Against this background, the unique iconography of the Tenian-Boeotianpithoiis revisited and the enigmatic fallen warrior on the MykonosPithosidentified as a possible role model for seventh-century aristocrats.