Bowl

This bronze basin belongs to a small group of similar bronze cauldrons and bowls that contained cremated remains and were wrapped with cloth before interment. This specific funerary practice is indicated by remnants of cloth visible on the surface interior and exterior of this basin. This custom has been interpreted as an attempt to imitate in social practice heroic burials known from the Iliad, in order to create for the deceased a persona like that of the Homeric hero. The fact that vessels of this type were also dedicated as prizes in the Olympic games suggests that they would characterize the dead as a hero-like athlete in the moment of victory.