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2008 Summer Special Exhibition The ancient Greeks called these pouring vessels rhyta. Rhyta were used in rituals to pour liquids onto the earth or into other vessels. In ancient times, they were horn-shaped vessels called keras (horn), which in time came to frequently have animal figures placed on them.Bull-shaped Rhyton
Sacred Drinking Vessels
Rhyta		 Bull-shaped Ewer
Bull-shaped Ewer North Iran Circa 1st millennium B.C. Earthenware Museum of e Middle Eastern Cultural Center in Japan		 Bull-shaped Rhyton West Asia 1st century B.C.–1st century A.D. Earthenware
Horn-shaped and animal-shaped vessels came to be made about ten thousand years ago. The animal-shaped vessels in particular functioned as a special receptacle that transcended functional use and that represented expressions of prayer that were closely related to daily livelihood, such as agriculture, stock farming, and hunting.
Speak upon these ancient vessels
The ancient ones paid homage to the sky, Rectifying this act, the constellation was created.
The period from winter when the rains arrived to spring when the sun and life returned was especially important for the livelihood of the ancient ones. Leo, Taurus, Aries, and the constellation Hercules (stag constellation, near Cassiopeia) represented this period, and the combination of these stars symbolized abundant harvests, fertility, revival, and regeneration.
 Pitcher with Animals
  Pitcher with Animals Pre-Achaemenid Persia 8th–6th century B.C. Silver
Saturday, July 12 to Sunday, August 17, 2008
 Lion and Bull-shaped Container
Lion and Bull-shaped Container 8th–6th century B.C. Silver, gold
Combinations of animals such as the one here, in which a lion attacks a bull or some other hoofed mammal, developed into “motifs of combat.” In time, as city-states begin to form, lions come to symbolize powerful kings, and the seasonal significance placed in the motif of combat.


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