In Case Of Emergency, Break Pots: Use And Function Of Marie Style Pottery In Minoan Crete

In Case Of Emergency, Break Pots: Use And Function Of Marie Style Pottery In Minoan Crete

AIA Society: Richmond
Lecturer: Emilia Oddo

Regarded as one of the most iconic and elegant ceramic styles of Crete, Marine Style vessels are included in general summaries of Minoan culture, together with other staple images of the Palace at Knossos and the bull-leaping fresco. The depictions of elaborate octopi with tentacles embracing the pot’s surface or nautili plunged in a landscape of rocks and seaweed are striking and hard not to consider artistic products. So, why do we find so little Marine Style in Crete? And why is it commonly found in shattered, not mendable, pieces? Something does not add up. This lecture takes you on a journey through the strange and elusive phenomenon that is Marine Style pottery. We will investigate who made Marine Style pots and for what purpose; we will explore how Marine Style was used and where. In the end, you will see that Marine Style was everything but typical.

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