Style and Chronology

Abstract

There is a remarkably unity of style within the large collection of “Thessalian antiquities” from Velestino. All those pieces are products of the same artisan(s) working with the same set of decorative patterns, if not also tools. Sets of three pieces, of which two are shown in profile in one direction, and another in the opposite direction, suggest that some representations of animals, at least, may have come in multiple pairs. The collection may have included between 90 and 100 pieces. The stylistic homogeneity, as well as the existence of pairs of symmetrical pieces, strongly suggests that the collection was not the result of accumulation over a long period of time. Instead, the “Thessalian antiquities” may have all been produced at the same time, or within a relatively short time span—the late seventh or early eighth century.