Mycenaean, Greece

This ceramic vessel, known as a false-necked amphora or stirrup jar, takes its name from the stirrup shape formed by the two handles bridging the false spout. After the 14th century BCE, these jars were the most common form of storage and transport vessel in the Mycenaean world. Their unique configuration made them particularly well suited for liquids such as wine and oil. The false spout and handles were ideal for holding, while the narrow neck of the true spout, located on the shoulder, controlled the liquid’s flow. Although the stirrup jar was characteristically a Minoan form, it was adopted by the Mycenaeans after their conquest of Minoan Crete. The triangular forms and wavy lines on this vessel also echo the decorative elements of its Minoan predecessors.