Update: video of this lecture is available here. Amid the moon-like landscape of the Sinai, the Holy Monastery of Saint Catherine has stood unfailing for 17 centuries, unaltered by invasion or conquest. Imagine a place rooted in the ancient world… More»
This could be my favourite Greek drinking vessel ever!
Rhyton (Drinking Vessel) in the Shape of a Donkey Head
c. 460 BC
Greek, Attica
This drinking cup could not have been set down without its contents spilling. It is fashioned after the head of a bridled donkey with a white muzzle, teeth, and ears. Like the naked satyr chasing a fleeing maenad on the vessel’s neck, the donkey belongs to the retinue of the wine god Dionysos. Douris, one of the great Athenian vase painters of first half of the fifth century B.C., decorated this amusing cup.
Source: The Art Institute of Chicago
In the morning, I’m making WAFFLES
This cup has a built-in drinking game: it can’t be put down until empty.