The only vessel in the form of a rooster that has been found in the cemetery of Sindos, accompanied a young boy on his last journey.
“Plastic” vases combine the art of figurine-making (coroplastic art) with that of pottery. Distinctive in shape and elaborately crafted, they were considered luxury items, sought after throughout the ancient world.
Their content was directly linked to the shape of their mouth: vessels with a narrow opening contained aromatic oils (perfume containers), while those with a wide opening served as symposium ware for the consumption or pouring of wine and water.
“Plastic” vases in the form of human figures, animals, birds, Sirens and other daemonic beings appear in Macedonia from the 6th century BC onwards. Most were imported from the eastern Aegean, Ionia and Corinth together with their precious contents, although a small number of locally produced examples are also attested.
The plastic vase in the shape of a rooster housed at the Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki (MΘ 8215) was found in Tomb 25 of the Sindos cemetery. The tomb contained the burial of a young boy who died prematurely around 545–535 BC.
Despite its modest dimensions, the cist tomb — carefully constructed from six monolithic poros slabs — contained an impressive and unique assemblage of grave goods that accompanied the young deceased into the afterlife. A large number of clay, faience and bronze vessels, figurines and plastic vases, gold jewelry and decorative sheets, weapons, and miniature representations of a chariot and items of furniture make up this remarkable set of offerings. Today, visitors may admire this rich assemblage displayed in showcases 60 to 64, in the gallery “The Gold of the Macedonians”.
This particular exhibit is the only plastic vase in the shape of a rooster identified to date in the Sindos cemetery. The bird is depicted as seated, with its legs tucked beneath its body. The rare beauty of the vase is revealed through the vivid colors that adorn the rooster: the crest and wattle are painted red, while the tail and the central section of the wings are rendered with alternating parallel bands of red and black. The mouth, also painted red, is placed on the back of the bird. The quality of the clay and the use of color place this vase within the same East-Ionian workshop that produced most of the 6th-century BC figurines from Sindos.
In antiquity, roosters were associated with cockfighting, was exchanged as a gift between lovers and was linked to the transition of adolescents into adulthood. Roosters were sacrificed in funerary rites to appease the chthonic deities, and for the same reason their figurines were deposited inside tombs. As a symbol of masculinity, courage and combativeness, the rooster underscores the youth of the boy who departed prematurely from life. At the same time, its victorious presence in cockfights elevates it into a timeless symbol of eternity.
Dimensions: Height 15.5 cm, length 18.5 cm.
The plastic vase in the shape of a rooster, inventory number MΘ 8215, is on display in the permanent exhibition “The Gold of the Macedonians”, showcase 64.
