MYCENEAN CRATER WITH OCTOPUS - MYC065COD403/3

Ηandmade Mycenaean crater decorated with octopus with big eyes, museum copy 1400-1300 BC British Museum.

The crater was the vessel in which water and wine were mixed and the word comes from kerannimi, which means mix.

After the destruction of Knossos, just before 1400 BC, the Mycenaeans spread to the Eastern Mediterranean and settled in large trading centers, mainly in Cyprus, from where they traded with neighboring countries.

During the 14th and 13th centuries BC, the painting style was predominant.

stly depicted in large amphorae and open craters.

The most beloved subjects are scenes of bifida, octopuses and animal and human figures, framed by standard plant compositions.

The general feature of the decorative elements of the Cypro-Mycenaean vessels is the vital momentum, the flexibility and the dynamic unfolding of the natural forces in their most intense and unruly form.