Ancient Mediterranean

Digital Project

Ship-shaped iron fire-dogs

Cat. No.

C100

Date

CA II

Findspot

Patriki, Famagusta, tomb 1

Dimensions

L: 98 cm; max. H (stern): 14 cm; H (stands): 6 cm (1^st^ fire-dog), 7 cm (2^nd^ fire-dog)

Medium

a pair of iron fire-dogs, each resting on two stands riveted at right angles to the ship's body.

Accession Number

References

Karageorghis 1972a: 170-172, fig. 12, pl. XXXI.2

The bow is triangular rather than rectangular compared to the other examples, but it is very possible that this is merely due to deformation, since a similar distortion is observable for one of the Salamis firedogs. The stempost is straight with a steep backward incline and ends in an S-shaped horn curving backwards parallel to the hull. The sternpost is incurving.

The chamber tomb was thoroughly looted prior to excavation. Several objects were found outside the tomb in the soil dumped by the looters as well as within the chamber, but their original context is lost. A single amphora was found standing upright in the south corner of the dromos near the façade where the fill of the dromos was still intact. The chamber is constructed of limestone ashlar blocks. After excavating a large trench (6.6 m long x 4 m wide x 2.85 m deep), a rectangular chamber situated to the west was constructed (2.15 m long x 1.45 m wide). Its rectangular stomion is off the central axis to the south. The chamber's two long lateral walls are made of large orthostats to a height of 0.7 m. These are followed by two isodomic courses of smaller rectangular blocks that converge obliquely towards a flat roof. The roof (1.35 m high) is made up of four large slabs (1.12 m x 0.65 m). The back and side walls of the chamber are built of three courses, the first comprising two regularly shaped blocks followed by two courses of smaller blocks. The stomion is rectangular (0.7 m width x 0.7 m high) with an elongated block above it serving as a lintel. The floor of the chamber is made of flat irregularly shaped slabs. The chamber's façade is 2.42 m high, 1.9 m wide at the top and 2.2 m wide at the floor of the dromos.

Karageorghis, V. 1972a. “Two built tombs at Patriki, Cyprus,” RDAC: 161-180.

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