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Gold goblet discovered in 1876 by Heinrich Schliemann From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Cup of Nestor or dove cup is a gold goblet discovered in 1876 by Heinrich Schliemann in Shaft IV of Grave Circle A, Mycenae,[1] which is usually dated to the 16th century BC. It is now in the National Archaeological Museum, Athens.
The goblet is 14.5 cm high and 14.5 cm across; it weighs 295.8 grams.[2] It has a stem, a Vapheio cup–shaped body, and two handles in the style of a kantharos.[3] The cup is the only known example of the Vapheio shape to have a stem; it is also unusual for such a small cup to have multiple handles.[4]
Each handle is decorated with a golden bird, which Schliemann observed was reminiscent of the cup of Nestor described in the Iliad.[5] The birds have since been identified by Spiros Marinatos as falcons, rather than the doves which are on the Iliadic cup.[6] J.T. Hooker suggests that the cup is an adaptation of a Cretan design made by a craftsman on the Greek mainland.[7] Despite the unusual design and value of the gold used to make the cup, it shows signs of poor-quality or hasty craftsmanship: for instance tool marks are still visible on the cup, and the rivets used to attach the handles to the base compromise the vessel's watertightness.[8]
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