The exhibit
Hagia Triada, Royal Villa. 1600-1500 BC
Large pithoi, like this example from Hagia Triada, were the main type of storage jar for agricultural produce used by the palatial communities of Minoan Crete. They are usually decorated with relief bands, and have handles under the rim and above the base for ease of transport and to attach lids. High-capacity pithoi found in the storerooms of the palaces and villas are incontrovertible evidence of the flourishing agricultural economy and its importance to the success of the palatial systems of Minoan Crete. Incised inscriptions in Linear A on clearly visible parts of the pots may have provided information on the type, quantity or origin of the goods they contained. This pithos bears two inscriptions, incised before it was fired. One inscription contains the word “su-ki-ri-te-i-ja”, probably indicating that the pithos came “from Sybrita”, a settlement with links to the Palace of Phaistos and the Royal Villa of Hagia Triada.