Find spot: Mochlos, Crete
Date: LM IB period (the end of the Neopalatial Period 1670-1430 BCE)
Dimensions: the lid measures ca. 11 by 14 cm
Clothing depicted: heanos, wrap skirt, bolero jacket, loincloth with codpiece, shoes, necklacee
Museum link: Sitia Museum https://archaeologicalmuseums.gr/en /museum/5df34af3deca5e2d79e8c15b/archaeological-museum-of-siteia
In Ancient Greece, a pyxis is a small, cylindrical container, typically with a removable lid, used to store small items such as jewelry, oils, and personal keepsakes. (**snarky commentary** because calling it a jewelry box is gauche)
The pyxis was a rectangular box with its sides and lid made of elephant ivory and its base made of wood. Its lid measures ca. 0.11 by 0.14 meters and was designed to be lifted on and off the box below. The side panels were carved in low relief with a seascape while the lid was carved with a scene showing the epiphany of the Minoan Goddess.
…
Eighty amethyst beads lay inside the pyxis, many of them in situ with traces of string still preserved so that it was possible to identify two necklaces, one of small and another of larger beads. Other beads included a silver pendant in the shape of a bull’s head, an assortment of carnelian beads, including one in the shape of a figure-of-eight shield, glass paste beads, including one in the shape of a lily, and other beads of lapis lazuli.
There does seem to be some disagreement between J.S. Stoles and B.R. Jones. Stoles interprets the lid image as a goddess bestowing a lily to crown the shorter male as king and the that leading male is a hero or god. B. R. Jones interprets that the lid “depicts a Minoan ruler offering a vessel to the goddess for her blessing over the couple, possibly marking a dynastic marriage, and that the pyxis and jewelry found within it were bridal gifts.”
Now I just want to find the ACTUAL source that lists all the juicy details (like exact sizes for all of the beads found).
Sources
Mochlos Archaeological Project: 2010 Season https://www.mochlosarchaeologicalproject.org/copy-of-excavations
Mochlos Archaeological Project: Pyxis Siteia Museum https://www.mochlosarchaeologicalproject.org/copy-of-mochlos-the-town-10
Wikimedia: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sitia_Museum_Pyxis_05.jpg
E-storiesKritis.gr “The priestess’ compass-jewelry box from Mochlos, Sitia” https://www.e-storieskritis.gr/2021/12/h.html
Academia.edu Fig. 2. lvory lid of a pyxis from Mochlos (after Soles 2016: pl. LXXXIb) https://www.academia.edu/figures/26590420/figure-2-lvory-lid-of-pyxis-from-mochlos-after-soles-pl
Articles:
J. S. Soles, C. Davaras. 2010. “2010 Greek-American Excavations at Mochlos”. Kentro. Vol 13 (Fall 2010) https://is.muni.cz/www/verakj/31996913/Kentro-2010.pdf
J.S. Soles. 2016. “Hero, Goddess, Priestess: New Evidence for Minoan Religion and Social Organization,” in E. Alram-Stern, F. Blakolmer, S. Deger-Jalkotzy, R. Laffineur and J. Weilhartner, eds., METAPHYSIS, Ritual, Myth and Symbolism in the Aegean Bronze Age, Aegaeum 39(Proceedings of the 15th International Aegean Conference ), Leuven-Liège, pp. 249-251.
Fritz Blakolmer. 2020. “The ‘Brilliant Child Prodigy’ of the Eastern Mediterranean.
An Introduction.” Pp. 8-17 in Current Approaches and New Perspectives in
Aegean Iconography.
B. R. Jones. 2023. “The Presentation Scene on the Ivory Pyxis Lid from Mochlos: A Reconstruction and Reinterpretation” https://ajaonline.org/article/4700/
