A Turning World : New Insights into the Burial Practices of Early Iron Age Athens

This paper is the result of a fruitful collaboration between the LALLACT Project (Lexicon of Ancient Ludonims. Ludic Activities and Cultural Tradition, University of Milan “La Statale”, Italy) and the ERC project 2017-2022 “Locus Ludi: The Cultural Fabric of Play and Games in Classical Antiquity” (prof. V. Dasen, Université de Fribourg, Switzerland). This work starts from a re-examination of toys in the grave assemblages of Early Iron Age Athens, and it then focuses on the Attic pointed pyxis and its meaning within the Athenian funerary landscape. The pointed pyxis is one of the most elegant and colorful Athenian Geometric vases. This shape is fairly rare, as it is well attested only between EG I and MG II. Interestingly, it has been found almost exclusively in exceptionally wealthy burials containing a large amount of pottery, exotic and prestige goods, metal tools, and jewellery. These funerary assemblages clearly demonstrate the deceased’s claim to élite status. It is then likely that the pointed pyxis may have played a particular role in Athenian funerary rites. Nevertheless, the origin and meaning of the shape are still difficult to define. Being sometimes labelled as an egg-shaped vase, the bulbous object might resemble the shape of Geometric spinning tops, as suggested by a few scholars (Dontas, Kent Hill) whose words, however, went totally unheeded. This paper highlights the suggestive connection among pointed pyxides, spinning tops, girls/young women, Eros, and the love sphere. My main goal is to assess whether it is possible to recognize in the pointed pyxis a metaphorical reference to the unpredictable duration of life, and perhaps even to divinatory practices (e.g. drawing lots for a good wedding during prenuptial ceremonies) as an adaptation of Near Eastern ideas for Greek ritual activities.