Harvester Vase (Rhyton)

Harvester Vase (Rhyton) Provenance: Minoan palace of Agia Triada, Crete Date: Late Minoan I (LM I), ca. 1500–1450 BC Material: Black steatite, stone rhyton in relief (lower part mainly preserved) Museum: Archaeological Museum of Heraklion (AMH) Inventory number: L 184 Iconic stone rhyton carved with a lively procession of men—often read as a harvest or sowing festival. The figures advance in rhythmic motion with open mouths as if singing; a prominent participant shakes a sistrum, setting the beat. The crowded scene, with overlapping bodies and vigorous modelling, is a masterpiece of Minoan glyptic sculpture, conveying both communal labor and its ritual dimension. As a rhyton, it served for libations in agricultural or cult ceremonies.