hippopotamus
Animal-Shaped
Vessels from
the Ancient World
Feasting with Gods, Heroes,
and Kings
In the ancient world, just as today, feasts and other occasions for sharing food and drink
were an integral part of life. The consumption of wine, beer, and other mind-altering
alcoholic beverages elevated the mood and loosened the tongue, encouraging new
relationships and strengthening social bonds. As theater for a range of diverse drinking
practices, feasting played a crucial role in establishing individual and group identities. It
also offered a channel for communicating with the gods and providing for the deceased.
The
The goings- at feasts of the past can be surmised through historical images and
eing
texts, but the most direct evidence comes from the archaeological record, including
the vessels used for serving and drinking-many of which took the form of animals and
mythical creatures.
T
Animal-shaped vessels had a tangible and potentially transformative presence
at ancient feasts: brought to life when filled with liquid, they introduced elements of
storytelling and performance, and they could even function as masks. This exhibition
foregrounds a series of c
a series of overlapping traditions of vessels made and used in the Near East
and the Mediterranean over a span of some three thousand years, from the Bronze Age
to the advent f Islam. The broad regional and chronological scope highlights the lively
exchange objects and ideas throughout this swath of land in antiquity and extending
across Central Asia all the way to China. Examples from other places and periods--
including Africa, East Asia, medieval and modern Europe, and South America-provide
further points comparison.
Curated by Susanne Ebbinghaus
George M.A. Hanfmann Curator of Ancient Art
Head of the Division of Asian and Mediteranean Art
This project has been made possible in part by a major
grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities
Exploring the
the human endeavor. Any views, findings,
conclusions, or recommendations expressed do not
necessarily represent those of the National Endowment
for the Humanities.
Humanities
In addition, the Harvard Art Museums are deeply grateful
to the anonymous donor of a gift in memory of Melvi
R. Seiden and to Malcolm H Wiener parvard A.B. St
Lehmann for enabling
JD and Michael and Helen Lel
pote
us to mount this exhibition and to pursue the related
search. This work was also made possible in part by the
folowing endowed funds the Ded Mo Funk
the Andrew Melon Publication Funds, including the
Herry R. Mchenny Fund and the M. Victor Levente
fund
To learn more about these extraordinary vesses and the
contexts of their use, look for prompts throughout the
exhibition to visit the complementary digital source
hundartanimad
apartyanimals
