Drinking bowl from an Avar treasure
Type:
Drinking vessels,
Bowls
Date:
ca. 700
Location or Findspot (Modern-Day Country):
Albania
Medium:
Gold
Dimensions:
6.5 × 14.5 × 18.5 cm
Description:
This golden drinking bowl was discovered in Vrap, Albania, in what may have been the grave of an Avar khagan (chief). Recent DNA studies suggest that the nomadic Avars, who migrated west from the Eurasian steppe were probably the same as the Rouran in Mongolia. They were known for being mounted warriors, and the bowl reproduced here has two holes that may have been designed for hanging from the trappings of a horse. The top of the bowl handle is decorated with chip-carved designs. This technique involves carving into a hard surface with a small chisel and hammer, removing chips from three or four directions and thereby creating a faceted, glimmering effect in the resulting recesses. The treasure in Vrap also included buckles, belt fittings, goblets, and Byzantine items that offer evidence of trade between the Avars and the Byzantine empire (e.g., a sixth-century Byzantine bucket and items with Greek inscriptions).
Relevant Textbook Chapter(s):
4
Repository and Online Resources:
• This bowl is now in the collection of the Walters Art Museum.
• See more of the objects from the same Avar hoard in the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
