Depas Amphikypellon from Poliochni on Lemnos

Depas Amphikypellon (Ancient Greek: δέπας ἀμφικύπελλον; plural ''depata'') is a distinctive Bronze Age drinking cup. Typically it is a tall, narrow beaker with a round base and two large handles opposite each other. These vessels are widely distributed from the Greek mainland to northern Syria and as far as

Euphrates The Euphrates ( ; see #Etymology, below) is the longest and one of the most historically important rivers of West Asia. Tigris–Euphrates river system, Together with the Tigris, it is one of the two defining rivers of Mesopotamia (). Originati ...

. They are especially common in the extensive areas of

Anatolia Anatolia (), also known as Asia Minor, is a peninsula in West Asia that makes up the majority of the land area of Turkey. It is the westernmost protrusion of Asia and is geographically bounded by the Mediterranean Sea to the south, the Aegean ...

. The Greek name now applied to them was first used by Homer to describe the cup of

Priam In Greek mythology, Priam (; , ) was the legendary and last king of Troy during the Trojan War. He was the son of Laomedon. His many children included notable characters such as Hector, Paris, and Cassandra. Etymology Most scholars take the e ...

, king of Troy, which he had received from the Thracians. Heinrich Schliemann wrongly thought that he had excavated such a vessel at Troy. The designation of this type of vessels with the ancient name ''Depas Amphikypellon'' is still internationally common today. Alternatively, these vessels are also referred to as ''Trojabecher'' or becher.

References in Homer

In the first book of the

Iliad The ''Iliad'' (; , ; ) is one of two major Ancient Greek epic poems attributed to Homer. It is one of the oldest extant works of literature still widely read by modern audiences. As with the ''Odyssey'', the poem is divided into 24 books and ...

, Homer describes how the god

Hephaestus Hephaestus ( , ; wikt:Hephaestus#Alternative forms, eight spellings; ) is the Greek god of artisans, blacksmiths, carpenters, craftsmen, fire, metallurgy, metalworking, sculpture and volcanoes.Walter Burkert, ''Greek Religion'' 1985: III.2. ...

scoops nectar potion with a Depas Amphikypellon and gives it to his mother

Hera In ancient Greek religion, Hera (; ; in Ionic Greek, Ionic and Homeric Greek) is the goddess of marriage, women, and family, and the protector of women during childbirth. In Greek mythology, she is queen of the twelve Olympians and Mount Oly ...

and the other Olympian gods to appease them. In the sixth book,

Oeneus In Greek mythology, Oeneus (; ) was a Calydonian king. He introduced wine-making to Aetolia, which he learned from Dionysus and the first who received a vine-plant from the same god.Bibliotheca (Pseudo-Apollodorus), Apollodorus1.8.1/ref> Family ...

gives Bellerophont a golden Depas Amphikypellon as a gift.

Achilles In Greek mythology, Achilles ( ) or Achilleus () was a hero of the Trojan War who was known as being the greatest of all the Greek warriors. The central character in Homer's ''Iliad'', he was the son of the Nereids, Nereid Thetis and Peleus, ...

is also described as offering wine from a golden Depas as a libation to the fallen

Patroclus In Greek mythology, Patroclus (generally pronounced ; ) was a Greek hero of the Trojan War and an important character in Homer's ''Iliad''. Born in Opus, Patroclus was the son of the Argonaut Menoetius. When he was a child, he was exiled from ...

Description

The basic form of these vessels consists of a tall, narrow beaker with a round base and two large handles opposite each other, which are attached close to the base of the vessel, and close to the edge of the vessel. There are hand-made and wheel-made specimens. Some are tapered at the bottom and others have a flat base. The detailed specifications and finding contexts of the depata in Anatolia, along with typological considerations, are provided recently in a work by Bilgen (2015). Possible uses of Depas in Bronze Age Anatolia, and the types of drinks that were consumed from them, were investigated by Murat Türkteki. Organic residues in the ancient depas were analyzed. They indicated the consumption of fermented products such as wine and herbal analgesics.

Distribution

Depas Amphikypellons are considered to be indicative of the third phase of the

Early Bronze Age The Bronze Age () was a historical period characterised principally by the use of bronze tools and the development of complex urban societies, as well as the adoption of writing in some areas. The Bronze Age is the middle principal period of ...

in the eastern Mediterranean (about 2300-2000 BC). Such vessels were found in northern

Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...

, south-eastern, central and western Anatolia, on the Aegean Islands, in

Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...

and in

Bulgaria Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...

. Derya Yilmaz (2021) provides good maps of distribution of this and similar Early Bronze Age vessels from the

Balkans The Balkans ( , ), corresponding partially with the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throug ...

to Greece and Anatolia and beyond. They are an indication of the trade and cultural exchange of the time. It is not yet known where the homeland of the Depas Amphikypellon is. The great variety of forms can be explained by the fact that many of the vessels found were not imported, but came from local production. A

silver Silver is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Ag () and atomic number 47. A soft, whitish-gray, lustrous transition metal, it exhibits the highest electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity, and reflectivity of any metal. ...

Depas Amphikypellon was discovered at Troy. It was found in the Early Bronze Age level II, and was dated to around 2300 BC. It is 6 in. (15 cm.) wide and 3½ in. (9 cm.) high, including handles.A TROJAN SILVER DEPAS CUP.
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Notes

Bibliography

* ŞAHOĞLU, V. 2014. “The depas and Tankard Vessels”, Associated Regional Chronologies for the Ancient Near East and Eastern Mediterranean (ARCANE) Interregional Vol. I: Ceramics (Ed. M. Lebeau). Brepols: 289-311 * * BİLGEN, A.N./KURU, A. 2015. �
A Group of Depas Amphikypellon from Seyitömer Mound”
Anadolu Anatolia 41: 1-23 * LESHTAKOV, K. P. 2014. “Troy and Upper Thrace: What Happened in EBA 3? (Interrelations Based on Pottery Evidence)”, Early Bronze Age Troy: Chronological, Cultural Development, and Interregional Contacts. An International Conference held at the University of Tübingen May 8-10, 20109 (Studia Troica Monohraghien 8) (Ed. E. Pernicka/S. Ünlüsoy/S. W. Blum). Bonn: 321-337 * {{cite journal , last=TURKER , first=ATILLA , title=SULUCA KARAHÖYÜK: A COMMERCIAL CONTEXT IN CENTRAL CAPPADOCIA IN LIGHT OF DEPAS AMPHIKYPELLON FINDINGS AND A FOOT-SHAPED STAMP SEAL , url=https://dergipark.org.tr/en/download/article-file/1726371 , journal=Türkiye Bilimler Akademisi Arkeoloji Dergisi , publisher=Parantez Teknologji Ltd , volume=23 , issue=1 , date=2018-12-30 , issn=1301-8566 , pages=54–65, doi=10.22520/tubaar.2018.23.003 , doi-broken-date=1 November 2024 , s2cid=239268934 , doi-access=free , url-access=subscription * Manfred Korfmann: Troia: Archäologie eines Siedlungshügels und seiner Landschaft, Philipp von Zabern, Mainz 2006, ISBN 3805335091, p. 205 * Lorenz Rahmstorf: ''Zur Ausbreitung vorderasiatischer Innovationen in die frühbronzezeitliche Ägäis.'' In: ''Prähistorische Zeitschrift.'' Band 81, 2006, p. 49–96, hier S. 52–55

* Peter Z. Spanos: ''Untersuchung über den bei Homer „depas amphikypellon“ genannten Gefäßtypus'' (= ''Istanbuler Mitteilungen.'' Beiheft 6). Wasmuth, Tübingen 1972.

External links