EXT RARE GREEK OSTRACON POT SHERD WITH WRITING. TEMPLE OF APOLLO NAUKRATIS 500BC
Item History & Price
| Reference Number: Avaluer:67583 | ISBN: Does not apply |
# OUR NEXT AUCTIONS START JUNE 13TH #
** THIS WEEK I AM SELLING THE VERY LAST PIECES FROM A COLLECTION OF ANCIENT GREEK PAINTED POT SHERDS, DATING TO CIRCA 500 BC, AND THEREFORE APPROX 2, 500 YEARS OLD OR MORE. THESE ALL CAME FROM A SINGLE COLLECTION WHICH I PURCHASED OVER 10 YEARS AGO FROM A LADY WHOSE FATHER WORKED ON VARIOUS ARCHAEOLOGICAL DIGS PRIMARILY IN THE SOUTH OF FRANCE, IN THE 1950s AND 60s. **
THIS EXTREMELY RARE AND STUNNING ANCIENT GREEK POT SHE...RD IS AN 'OSTROCON' WITH ANCIENT GREEK LETTERS SCRATCHED INTO THE SURFACE OF THE PAINTED DECORATION. THIS PARTICULAR PIECE WAS EXCAVATED AT THE TEMPLE OF APOLLO IN NAUKRATIS IN EGYPT, AND THE ARCHAEOLOGIST HAS IDENTIFIED IT AS SUCH IN BLACK INK ON THE INNER-SIDE OF THE POT SHERD. I DON'T KNOW WHETHER THE ARCHAEOLOGIST PERSONALLY EXCAVATED AT NAUKRATIS, OR WHETHER IT WAS PASSED TO HIM BY A COLLEAGUE. THERE WERE EXCAVATIONS AT NAUKRATIS IN THE '70'S, AND PRIOR TO THAT THE GREAT FLINDERS PETRIE EXCAVATED THERE IN THE LATE 19TH / EARLY 20TH CENTURY. AS WELL AS THE ANCIENT GREEK WRITING ON THE SURFACE, THE SHERD RETAINS MUCH DETAILED AND COLOURFUL PAINTED DECORATION, AND IS A FRAGMENT OF RIM FROM A LARGE VASE. THIS PIECE IS TRULY UNIQUE, YOU WILL NEVER COME ACROSS ANOTHER ONE LIKE THIS AND WITH THE PROVENANCE OF HAVING BEEN FOUND AT NAUKRATIS TOO! (SEE PHOTOS).
An ostracon is a piece of pottery, usually broken off from a vase or other earthenware vessel. In an archaeological context, ostraca refer to sherds or even small pieces of stone that have writing scratched into them. Usually these are considered to have been broken off before the writing was added, however writing was also scratched into the surface of complete pots. Ancient people used the cheap, plentiful and durable broken pieces of pottery around them as convenient places to place writing for a wide variety of purposes, mostly very short inscriptions, but in some cases surprisingly long. In Classical Athens, when the decision at hand was to banish or exile a certain member of society, citizen peers would cast their vote by writing the name of the person on the sherd of pottery; the vote was counted and, if unfavorable, the person was exiled for a period of ten years from the city, thus giving rise to the term 'ostracism'.
PLEASE BID ACCORDINGLY AND AVOID BEING DISAPPOINTED AT THE END OF THE AUCTION AS YOU WILL NEVER GET ANOTHER CHANCE! FOR CONDITION PLEASE SUPERSIZE ALL OUR DETAILED PHOTOGRAPHS LISTED ABOVE, PRIOR TO BIDDING.
GUARANTEED GENUINE, FROM THE PERIOD AND FIND LOCATION STATED, AND OFFERED AT A £1 OPENING BID WITH
NO RESERVE!!
