This ancient Greek wine cup may have the earliest Greek depiction of constellations
Ancient Greek drinking cups and vessels have plenty of interesting images painted on them: mythological figures, a lively symposium, or even people vomiting. But new research suggests that one wine cup may have one of the earliest known Greek depictions of constellations.
The skyphos — a.k.a., a two-handed wine cup — in question dates to 625 B.C.E. and is on display at Greece's Lamia Archaeological Museum. The cup, which was found in a trench near the seventh-century acropolis of Halai, north of Thebes, was thought to depict a "random assortment of animals," Live Science reports. But in a study published in the journal Hesperia, researchers at the University of Missouri suggest that the animals aren't random at all, but are actually stellar constellations.
A third of the skyphos, including one of the handles, has not been located, but the remaining fragments depict a bull, a snake, a dolphin, a panther or lion, a scorpion, and a "hare or small dog," according to Live Science. John Barnes, one of the study's researchers, told Live Science the collection of animals is "atypical" — a dolphin with a bunch of land animals isn't exactly a traditional hunting scene — which inspired his research. He suspects that the animals are arranged not as they appeared in the night sky, but according to the four seasons the constellations represent.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The study's findings could have implications for other ancient works of art, too. Barnes told Live Science that other ancient depictions of animals may actually be of constellations, which could "hold clues to what the early Greeks knew about astronomy." Most of historians' current understanding about Greek astronomy comes from literary texts rather than archaeological evidence, since depictions of the sky on Greek pottery are "relatively rare," Live Science notes.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Meghan DeMaria is a staff writer at TheWeek.com. She has previously worked for USA Today and Marie Claire.
-
'Make legal immigration a more plausible option'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
LA-to-Las Vegas high-speed rail line breaks ground
Speed Read The railway will be ready as soon as 2028
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Israel's military intelligence chief resigns
Speed Read Maj. Gen. Aharon Haliva is the first leader to quit for failing to prevent the Hamas attack in October
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Puffed rice and yoga: inside the collapsed tunnel where Indian workers await rescue
Speed Read Workers trapped in collapsed tunnel are suffering from dysentery and anxiety over their rescue
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
More than 2,000 dead following massive earthquake in Morocco
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
Mexico's next president will almost certainly be its 1st female president
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
North Korea's Kim to visit Putin in eastern Russia to discuss arms sales for Ukraine war, U.S. says
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
Gabon's military leader sworn in following coup in latest African uprising
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
Nobody seems surprised Wagner's Prigozhin died under suspicious circumstances
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
Western mountain climbers allegedly left Pakistani porter to die on K2
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
'Circular saw blades' divide controversial Rio Grande buoys installed by Texas governor
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published