Mycenaean trade in action
from Mycenae to Britain and Sudan
Exhibit Curators:
Topsham Axe, Britain
This Mycenaean double axe made of bronze was discovered in 1865 at Topsham, Mount Howe, in South Devon. It is of a Greek mainland type with parallels found in Mycenae and dated to the 15th-13th century BC.
Mycenaean stirrup jar, From Greece, 1400 BC-1200 BC, Found in Gurob, Egypt
This stirrup jar is wheel made, has a piriform body on a high stem and a false neck with two strap handles. It is decorated with red brown painted bands and can have chevrons on the shoulder. Such vessels have been used for the storage and transport of luxury ointments and oils. Although shapes and decorative styles were of Cretan origin, the final decoration of the Mycenaean vessel was not quite as finely executed as in Minoan centers such as Knossos and Phaistos.
