Object type
kernos
Culture/period
Protohistory and Iberian world
Materials
pottery
Technique
moulding
Mint
Production date
-300 / -100
Current location
Reserva provisonal
Archaeological site
El Bordissal
Township
Camarles (Baix Ebre)
Dimensions
163 x 113 mm
Description
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Terracotta censor or thymiaterion in the shape of a female head, interpreted as the representation of a goddess associated with fertility of the land and the agricultural world. The object was found in 1953 in a silo at the site of Bordissal (Camarles, el Baix Ebre, Tarragona), forming part of a group of more than 30 censors of identical characteristics, as well as other terracotta figures.
These representations are made in a mould and have similar sizes. It has a ventilation hole in the back and another five smaller holes made at the top, called the kalathos.
The decorative elements of the figure are common in this type of piece. In the front we find the female head crowned with a kalathos, a profound symbol of divinity, wearing a garland of vegetables and fruits whose various elements are represented by three small spheres located just above the forehead. Around the neck, there is usually a discoidal object tied with a ribbon, as a necklace.
The thymiaterion is covered by a layer of white slip, on which there are traces of painted decoration in red, conserving on top a band of red triangles, called ""wolf's teeth"" and a necklace of small beads around the neck.
The cult of divinities protective of crops was widespread in the western Mediterranean, in both the Hellenic and Punic world, related to the Greek goddesses Demeter and Core and the Punic Tanit from the fourth century BC and extensive iconographic representations are known.
The location of these types of vessels in domestic contexts, funerary rituals and shrines can interpret them as objects designed to contain votive offerings, probably the first fruits of the harvest. The first cereal grain would be placed on top of the kalathos. Some units have the kalathos without holes and with traces of fire, allowing the function of these parts to be attributed to a thymiaterion or perfume burner.
Image
3D Model
© Museu d'Arqueologia de Catalunya - Barcelona
Omeka ID
2570