A larnax (plural: larnakes; Ancient Greek: λάρναξ, lárnaks, plural: λάρνακες, lárnakes) is a type of small closed coffin, box or "ash-chest" often used in the Minoan and Mycenaean civilizations and in Ancient Greece as a container for human remains—either a corpse (bent back on itself) or cremated ashes from the early 14th to the 12th century B.C.[1][2] It was the standard vessel for someone who died, specifically on Crete and Knossos [3]
Myth edit
Some aspects of the Minoan chest and its function stems all the way back to ancient myths during the Bronze Age period.[4] Potentially being named after King Minos whose wife gave birth to the mythical minotaur in Greek mythology, or individuals such as Glaukos, who is said to have fallen into a jar of honey, or Agememmnon who supposedly was killed in a bath tub, there are many myths that speculate its origin and function. Using these tales and being a custom tradition, the closing of a larnax would show the real death of someone and that they've passed.[5]
Origin and Function edit
The first larnakes appeared in the Minoan period of the Aegean civilization, when they took the form of ceramic coffers designed to imitate wooden chests, perhaps on the pattern of Egyptian linen chests that were used as furniture.[6] Some of the earliest larnakes also appeared in Egypt, Mesopotamia, and Palestine.[5] Because larnakes appeared in various settings, there is a notion that some larnakes could actually be independent of each other and could've been created on their own.[5] However, there is also no unknown origin of this invention.[7]
It would be used in rituals, specifically in Greece during the Palatial period, circa 1350-1200 B.C.[8][9] They were used in various tombs to hold the bones of the dead and was a sacred and important practice for not only physical life, but also beliefs of the afterlife.[10]
Usually, the larnax had a specific type of shape but could also be morphed. Composed of a body and lid, with four legs, larnakes can be square-shaped or ellipsoidal.[8] With its chest shape, some larnakes were bathtub shaped, speculating that these items could have been used for bathing purposes.[11] By the end of the Late Bronze Age Period, this practice reached its popularity with two standardized forms of larnakes.[8] One being the chest-shaped and the other being bathtub-shaped, and was used all over Crete.[5][9] Original larnakes would be made out of wood, and later larnakes would be made of other things such as gold, clay, and terracotta.[7]
Iconography edit
Minoan larnakes were richly decorated with abstract patterns, octopuses and scenes of hunting and cult rituals, which could vary depending on each coffin-like chest due to its religious and funerary purposes.[12][13] Some larnakes would also have painted iconography on its front facing body, consisting of colored images of nature.[8][14] Due to the evolving state, these motifs would showcase the shifting of Aegean identity and navigating the world.[15]
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Other Larnax Contexts edit
During the later Hellenistic period, larnakes, in the form of small terracotta sarcophagi, became popular, some of which were painted in similar styles to contemporary Greek vases.
In a few special cases, larnakes appear to have been made out of precious materials, as in the 4th century BC example found at Vergina in Macedonia, of gold, with a sun motif (hence known as the "Vergina Sun" motif) on the lid. Manolis Andronikos, the leader of the archaeological excavation, posited that the larnax most likely contained the remains of King Philip II of Macedon, father of Alexander the Great.[16]
Assorted Larnakes edit
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Minoan larnax, cattle, Crete, AMH. -
Clay larnax with Sphinx, Mycenaean, AM of Thebes. -
Larnakes Archaeological Museum of Agios Nikolaos. -
Mycenaean larnax 1, AM of Thebes.
References edit
- ^ "Terracotta larnax (chest-shaped coffin) | Minoan | Late Minoan IIIB". The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Retrieved 2024-05-25.
- ^ "Terracotta coffin (larnax)". Google Arts & Culture. Retrieved 2024-05-25.
- ^ Watrous, L. Vance (1991). "The Origin and Iconography of the Late Minoan Painted Larnax". Hesperia: The Journal of the American School of Classical Studies at Athens. 60 (3): 285–307. doi:10.2307/148065. ISSN 0018-098X.
- ^ Rutkowski, Bogdan (1968-11). "The Origin of the Minoan Coffin". Annual of the British School at Athens. 63: 219–227. doi:10.1017/S0068245400014349. ISSN 2045-2403.
{{cite journal}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ a b c d Rutkowski, Bogdan (1968). "The Origin of the Minoan Coffin". The Annual of the British School at Athens. 63: 219–227. ISSN 0068-2454.
- ^ "Minoan Larnax: Bringing the dead to life". Things That Talk. Retrieved 2024-05-24.
- ^ a b Hägg, Robin; Sieurin, Franciska (1982-11). "On the Origin of the Wooden Coffin in Late Bronze Age Greece". Annual of the British School at Athens. 77: 177–186. doi:10.1017/S0068245400005098. ISSN 2045-2403.
{{cite journal}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ a b c d Georgel-Debedde, Sarah (2022). "Building a Minoan Larnax -Techniques and Gestures. Preliminary Analysis" (PDF). HAL Open Science: 69–84 – via Sympozjum Egejskie: Papers in Aegean Archaeology.
- ^ a b Nerling, Ursprung (2021). Pre- and protopalatial Minoan larnax : individuals vs collective identity in pre- and protopalatial Crete (Thesis thesis). University of Missouri--Columbia.
- ^ "ANISTORITON: In Situ". www.anistor.gr. Retrieved 2024-05-25.
- ^ "larnax; bath-tub | British Museum". www.britishmuseum.org. Retrieved 2024-05-25.
- ^ "Mycenaean Greece-Society". www.fhw.gr. Retrieved 2024-05-25.
- ^ "Met Timeline | Larnax (chest-shaped coffin)". web.archive.org. 2003-06-21. Retrieved 2024-04-28.
- ^ "The Return of the Collective: Prepalatial and Protopalatial Larnakes on Crete, Laura Ursprung Nerling - INSTAP Study Center for East Crete". 2021-03-17. Retrieved 2024-05-24.
- ^ classicsvic (2020-10-12). "The Context and Significance of Iconography on Late Minoan III Cretan Larnakes". Classical Association of Victoria. Retrieved 2024-05-25.
- ^ The Finds from the Royal Tombs at Vergina.