Vessel fragment with geometric design, 7th–6th century b.c.
Anatolia, Phrygia, Gordion
Ceramic, paint
Technical Glossary
Anatolia, Phrygia, Gordion
Ceramic, paint
H. 2 1/8 in. (5.4 cm)
Lent by the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology (Gift of the Turkish Government, 1954) (L.1994.96.6)
This vessel fragment is decorated with a black on buff checkerboard design. Phrygian ceramic tiles, vessels, wooden furniture, and rock-cut monuments were often decorated with intricate geometric patterns. It has been suggested that these carry religious symbolism, as such designs appear on a series of rock-cut facades in Anatolia thought to be related to the cult of the Phrygian goddess Kybele.
