Minoan Swallows and Nipples Prochous from ancient Thera

This voluptuous prochous, dating to ca 1650–1600 BCE was excavated in 1970 by the Greek archaeologist Spyridon Marinatos at the buried volcanic city of Akrotiri on Santorini. It was discovered perfectly sealed within the thick volcanic ash layers of a prehistoric house. Today, it is a highlight in the Museum of Prehistoric Thera in Fira, Santorini.

This delightfully rounded prochous with its elegant bird-beak spout, has a warm, creamy-buff background finish. Gliding effortlessly around the rotund belly are dynamic, fluid swooping swallows painted in rich dark red-brown and black outlines. The birds are captured mid-flight, their wings gracefully curved to trace the sphere of the clay.

And here comes the witty part! Right at the swell of the upper chest are two distinct, dark-painted raised clay dots that represent female nipples. By adding this feature to the vessel's body, this prehistoric craftsman transformed a standard jug into a symbolic female torso.

The fusion of maternal form with the flying swallows—the universal Aegean herald of springtime rebirth—suggests that this prochous was used for sacred fertility rituals, birth ceremonies, and libations to a Mother Goddess.

Flourishing on Bronze Age Crete ca 3000–1100 BCE, the Minoans were a vibrant, colourful and innovative civilization that celebrated the beauty of life, nature's rhythms, and the sea which surrounded them.

Their extraordinary artistic output reflects their love of the natural world. Their sprawling palaces, most famously Knossos, Malia, and Phaistos, were adorned with breathtaking frescoes characterized by fluid lines and vivid colors. Instead of grim battle scenes, these murals depicted graceful leaping bulls, blue monkeys, and delicate saffron crocuses. Their creativity extended to their exquisite pottery, which featured dynamic motifs of octopus and coral wrapping around clay vessels, reflecting a sophisticated society deeply in tune with its environment.

This intimate connection with nature was inextricably linked to their mastery of the sea. Developing a formidable thalassocracy, the Minoans dominated the Aegean as unparalleled seafarers. Their advanced sailing vessels, elegantly depicted in frescoes at Akrotiri on Santorini/Thera, carried olive oil and fine ceramics across lucrative trade networks across the Mediterranean world, returning with exotic ivory and gold.

This pottery collection is produced in Greece in the workshop of the Lioulias family, with whom It's All Greek is privileged and proud to have been working since 2004. They also produce our lovely Minoan pottery and fresco pieces, and a small collection of bronzes.