• latw-145-1
    Lydion. (Courtesy of the Vedat Nedim Tör Museum, Istanbul)

    Lydion

    Date
    Ca. 575-540 BC?, Lydian
    Museum
    Manisa, Archaeological and Ethnographic Museum, 2201
    Museum Inventory No.
    2201
    Sardis or Museum Inv. No.
    P61.008
    Material
    Ceramic
    Object Type
    Pottery
    Pottery Shape
    Lydion
    Pottery Ware
    Lydian Painted - Banded / Waveline
    Pottery Attribution
    Site
    Sardis
    Sector
    Nec
    Trench
    Tomb 61.1
    Locus
    Tomb 61.1 Locus 1
    Description
    Intact, except for nicks of rim. Form somewhat uneven (small depressions in body surface, undulant rim). Clay pale gray-brown, micaceous. Decoration in dark sepia-brown and, apparently, cream slips. Over rim, inside and outside of neck, lower body, and foot dark slip streakily applied. On shoulder, dark slip applied in narrow spiraling band or narrow parallel bands, apparently over cream slip. Height 0.095 m, maximum diameter 0.92 m.
    Comments
    The lydion was recovered from a grave in the Great Necropolis of Sardis (Inderesi region, Grave 61.1; not shown in Roosevelt 2009, 137 fig. 6.1), together with No. 146 and a fragmentary lekythos-jug (Greenewalt 1972, 117-118 no. 3, pl. 3 fig. 2). The grave was identified from two schist slabs, perhaps cover slabs for a simple cist grave; the slabs were located 3-4 m north of the grave that contained Nos. 147-154 (grave 61.2).
    See Also
    Baughan, “Lydian Burial Customs”; Greenewalt, “Cosmetics”; Greenewalt, “Lydian Pottery”.
    Bibliography
    Greenewalt 1972, 116-117, no. 1, 132-134 (with previous bibliography).
    Author
    CHG