Cypriot Base Ring II Ware large jug: Late Bronze Age II (1450-1200 BC)

This Base Ring jug was exported in antiquity and excavated in the 60s near Nablus, Samaria (now Israel). This is the larger versions of the jug popularly known as a Bilbil or Poppy jug due to its resemblance when inverted to a poppy seed-head. They were often exported, especially to the Levant and Egypt and as such the larger ones probably originally contain scented oils. The smaller juglets of this form may all have contained opium, and certainly many did, as has been proved by recent residue analysis.  Base Ring II replaced the thin walled early Base Ring I with its applied linear decoration.  It is cruder, with thinner, matt slip and simple linear painted decoration. Base Ring Ware's former’s position as a high status ware was taken over by imported Mycenaean wares, and Red Lustrous ware for ritual vessels. Since my other jug of this type was so covered in encrustations, possibly hiding restoration to the top, I decided to buy another specifically for the Kykkos Museum.