An extraordinary ancient Egyptian vase, a kalathos (basket) made of Egyptian faience, was found in the western cemetery of Thessaloniki (in the area of modern Neapolis), in a rich woman's tomb dating back to around 275 BC.
The vase itself, as evidenced by the traces of use, must be a little older than the tomb, and should be dated a few decades earlier, perhaps to 325-300 BC. Its special construction material, the Egyptian faience, is, basically, powdered quartz with a blue or greenish glass coating, and owes its modern name to the city of Faenza in Italy, where in the 16th century AD ceramic vessels with a similar glassy appearance were produced. The ancient Egyptians, who used the faience as early as the predynastic period (5500-3000 BC), called it tzehenet, which means "dazzling" and "shining". The "exotic" vase of Thessaloniki is also shiny.
Its glossy blue-green surface is entirely covered with elaborate decoration in low relief, organized in three zones separated by spiral meander bands. The lower zone bears a row of rosettes, while the middle one was decorated with waterfowl in front of lotus flowers, which are a favorite theme in Egyptian art and symbolize rebirth. The upper and most important zone depicts a hunting scene in a forest, starring the goddess of hunting, Artemis, hunting wild animals with the help of dogs: deer, roe deer, hares and a wild boar. The goddess wears a short tunic and boots and holds a bow with arrows and javelin.
The general appearance of the vase would initially have been more luxurious, as gold plates and buttons - which have not survived - would have once been affixed to elements of the decoration (e.g. on the inside of the wave below the rim, in the center of the flowers, on the dividing bands). This is presumed by the preservation of similar gold elements in other faience vases.
Apart from its luxury, however, this vase also stands out for its rarity. Its shape, the theme of its representation, as well as the technical details it presents (such as the use of a red glass coating on one of the dividing bands, boots and the goddess's hair), make it unique among Egyptian faience products. Its discovery in Thessaloniki demonstrates the city's relations with Egypt and its cosmopolitan character.
You may see the Egyptian basket in the permanent exhibition "Thessaloniki Metropolis of Macedonia", in showcase 10.
For another Egyptian exhibit in the museum, a black basalt sphinx statuette, see: https://www.amth.gr/exhibitions/exhibit-of-the-month/mia-sfigga-apo-tin-aigypto-sti-thessaloniki.
The Exhibit of the Month was written and edited by the archaeologist Anna Arvanitaki.
