Greek Mycenaean, Greece

Improved methods of ceramic firing on the Greek mainland facilitated the production of long-stemmed drinking cups (kylikes) such as this one. After the14th century BCE, this shape became the standard form of drinking cup throughout most of the Mycenaean world. Decorative elements during this period were often mere approx imations of the objects they were intended to represent. On this vessel, the tall pointed form suggests a mollusk shell, while the curled lines evoke the waves of the sea. Marine motifs are common in Mycenaean art, a tribute to the sea as an invaluable source of food, trade, and economic prosperity in the ancient world.