Ancient Mediterranean

Digital Project

Ship model

Cat. No.

C32

Date

Cypro-Archaic

Findspot

Amathus, Site E, tomb 83

Dimensions

L: 17 cm; H (amidships): 2.5; beam (amidships): 3.8 cm

Medium

terracotta boat model in bichrome ware, smooth red-orange clay, decorated with red/purple and black paint

Accession Number

British Museum 1894,1101.184

References

Basch 1987: 255, no. 544a; Göttlicher 1977: 38, no. 173, pl. 13; Gray 1974: G. 31, 3. e); Karageorghis 1996: 75, no.V(b):17, PL. XLII: 7; Murray et al 1900: 112, fig. 164, 10; Walters 1903: 36, A 208; Westerberg 1983: 32, no. 34, fig. 34

Crescentic hull with a rounded bottom and vertical, near symmetrical posts ending in a flat, undecorated extremity. Stems projecting 3 cm above the gunwale. The painted decoration has additional features however, and has preserved black, red, as well as yellow colour. It is distinctive for having painted decoration on both the inside and outside. The external stripes from the top down are black, red, black, and yellow. Both stems have traces of yellow decoration. The internal decoration consists of a black line (1 cm wide) along the keel and following the stems upwards.

Basch, L. 1987. Le musée imaginaire de la marine antique. Athens: Institut Hellénique pour la preservation de la tradition nautique.

Göttlicher, A. 1977. Materialien für ein Korpus der Schiffsmodelle im Altertum. Mainz: Philipp von Zabern.

Gray, D. 1974, Seewesen. Göttingen: Vandenhoeck und Ruprecht.

Karageorghis, V. 1996. The coroplastic Art of ancient Cyprus. VI. Monsters, Animals and Miscellanea. Nicosia: A.G. Leventis Foundation.

Murray, A. S., Smith, A. H. and Walters, H. B. 1900. Excavations in Cyprus: (bequest of Miss E. T. Turner to the British Museum). London: Trustees of the British Museum.

Walters, H.B. 1903. Catalogue of the Terracottas in the Department of Greek and Roman Antiquities, British Museum. London: Order of the Trustees.

Westerberg, K. 1983. Cypriote Ships from the Bronze Age to c. 500 B.C. (SIMA, Pocket-books, 22). Göteborg: P. Åströms förlag.

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