Origin And Iconography Of The Larnag

Excavating tomb is a vital method used in trying to get a peek into the ancient world as tombs are basically the only things that have been left untouched since this time. A common practice for burial rituals during this time included a box-like shape that is believed to be used as a coffin. These boxes are now commonly known as a “larnax.” The larnax is seen to be a coffin for the dead, which was decorated with various scenes that can give a look into life in Greece during this period. Little is known about the larnax, however by examining the shape, style, and decorations, archeologists are able to determine various aspects of life as an ancient greek. Through the Larnax from Armenoi, or Plate 87:F in “The Origin and Iconography of the Late
Vance Watrous claims many things about this piece-- which some are reasonably true. In his article, “The Origin and Iconography of the Late Minoan Painted Larnax,” he address this Larnax and asserts that the piece depicts a “hunter pursuing a deer on its left panel” (Watrous, 299). This statement is universally understood as fact-- there is a hunter and a deer on the left panel. For the most part, the figures that are shown are all agreed upon. For example, the goat, deer, and so forth is all agreed upon that it is depicting these figures. Watrous additionally discusses the use of dogs seen in the larnax. He not only points out the dog in this larnax, but also discusses the dogs pictured in Plate 93:C (Watrous, 300). It is accepted that this figure is in fact a dog due dogs being a part of other larnax-- making it a commonality. Due to this pattern among the larnaxs, it can be said that dogs were used in everyday lives of the Greeks as well as in their rituals. He also discusses the holes in the figure-- Watrous explains this as “a pair of holes in [the] rimes and lids… so that they could be secured by a cord” (Watrous, 289). The holes in this particular larnax are located where it can be seen as if it was for cord. The holes are located far enough down on the larnax that it would not break the top. They are also just big enough for cord to fit through. Due to these various aspects, Watrous does claim some aspects that can be taken as
He claims that the overall scene is showing the underworld. Specifically, he backs this by stating there is an argonaut that is shown on the bottom of the larnax-- this, therefore, proves it is taking place in the underworld (Watrous, 294). However, the argonaut is not a large part of the painting-- frankly, it is even hard to see unless it is pointed out. Due to this not being a large, prominent part of the larnax, claiming that proves the scene takes place in the underworld is too far fetched. One item that Watrous does not mention that could back this claim, however, is the wave-like lines on the left side of the larnax. This could be interpreted as the River Styx, which is commonly known as the river in the underworld-- as it is features in numerous Greek Myths. If Watrous used this as his evidence for the scene happening in the underworld, it may be more plausible. But, since he just cites the argonaut, it is hard to see this statement as pure fact. It is also important to note that in his article, he claims that most of the larnaxs feature scenes from the underworld. Watrous also states that the spirals that are on the larnax are “in conjunction with other marine motifs” (Watrous, 289). Yet, there are no other blatant marine motifs on this larnax-- but there are the spirals. This, therefore, debunks the claim that the spirals represent marine life. In addition, the spirals are also used for