Alabastron with Inscription

Arts of Africa

Late Period, Dynasty 26–27 (664–404 BCE)

Egyptian; probably Naukratis, Egypt

The style and material of this jar are nearly identical to those of Egyptian vessels made 3000 years earlier. Although Egyptian in design, this vessel has an inscription in Greek - a dedication to the twin gods Castor and Pollux. It attests to the popularity of Greek gods in Egypt at the time of its creation, an interest that was reciprocated in Greece for Egyptian gods.

Status: Currently Off View
Department: Arts of Africa

Culture: Ancient Egyptian
Title: Alabastron with Inscription
Place: Egypt (Object made in:)
Date Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.: Made 664 BCE–404 BCE
Medium: Travertine (Egyptian alabaster)
Inscriptions: ∆lO°KOPON “[This is the jug of the] Dioscouri”
Dimensions: 27.6 × 30.5 × 30.5 cm (10 7/8 × 12 × 12 in.)
Credit Line: Museum Purchase Fund
Reference Number: 1911.105
IIIF Manifest The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world. Learn more.: https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/64913/manifest.json

Art Institute of Chicago, Thirty-second Annual Report: June 1, 1910-June 1, 1911 (1911), p. 64.
Thomas George Allen, A Handbook of the Egyptian Collection (Chicago: The Art Institute of Chicago, 1923), p. 97.
Roberta Casagrande-Kim, ed., When the Greeks Ruled Egypt: From Alexander the Great to Cleopatra. Exh. cat. (New York: Institute for the Study of the Ancient World; Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2014), p. 91, cat. 21.

Art Institute of Chicago, Ancient Art Galleries, Gallery 154A, April 20, 1994 - February 6, 2012.
Art Institute of Chicago, When the Greeks Ruled: Egypt After Alexander the Great, October 31, 2013 - July 27, 2014; traveled to New York City, NY, the Institute for the Study of the Ancient World, October 8, 2014 - January 4, 2015.

Maurice Nahman (1868-1948), Cairo; sold to the Art Institute of Chicago, 1911.

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Date Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

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IIIF Manifest The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world. Learn more.

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IIIF Manifest The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

Learn more.