Cult vessel

An earthenware vessel of original shape, indicating its cult function, was found in a multi-pellet grave at a site attributed to people of the so-called Pomeranian culture.

A multicultural archaeological site was discovered in Żukowo in 1960. The research was conducted by Jan Gurba. One of the most interesting objects examined was a grave containing earthenware vessel, some of which were used as ashtrays, i.e. containing burnt human remains. The custom of cremation was one of the characteristics of the Pomeranian culture inhabiting the territory of present-day Poland in the early Iron Age (7th-4th c. BC).

In the group of vessels found in the grave there is a hand-made black clay vase with a glossy surface, with four cup-shaped holes, i.e. rhytons, and a decoration in the form of punctures forming combinations of lines around the body. The punctures were probably inlaid with white mass. The form of the vase and ornamentation of the vessel is typical for the "Pomeranian" ceramics. However, the presence of four rhytons makes this ceramic find unique in Poland. The closest analogues for it can be found in the Eastern Alpine zone, in Slovakia and in Ukraine. From the typological analysis and the mentioned analogies, the vessel can be dated to 700-600 BC.

An object with such an unusual form probably had some special cult function. The multi-cup vessels can be associated with the Greek kernos type. Kernos fulfilled an important role in Greek cult ceremonies, especially connected with the cult of fertility. The chalices were filled with freshly harvested crops, intended as an offering to the deities. Sometimes during cult processions the sacred consumption of crops took place, for which such a multi-part vessel form was used. Kernos from Żukowo could have played a similar role during the funeral ceremony, the remnants of which can be found in the tomb discovered by archaeologists.