Rhyton ( ancient Greek ῥυτόν - drinking horn , from ancient Greek ῥέω - current ) - a wide funnel-shaped drinking vessel in the form of an animal (dog, sheep, goat, horse) or human being lowered down. The vessel was often used in the sacred rites of sacrifice or the pouring of wine in honor of this or that god. At the same time, the word “rhyton” is not found in the oldest known Mycenaean Greek, written in linear letter B.
Rhyton often ended with a sculpture in the lower part and was decorated with reliefs and engraving. Rhytons were made of metal (gold, etc.), clay, bone, and horns. Have a hole in the lower narrow end.
Other facts
The famous Bulgarian duet is named after this vessel.
Links
- Wikimedia Commons has media related to Rhyton
- New encyclopedic dictionary of visual arts (inaccessible link) (inaccessible link from 14-06-2016 [1143 days])