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A find unique of its kind and a product of sophisticated metalworking of the 4th century BC, this vessel was used as a depositary urn for the deceased ashes in a grave. Its original function was that of a vessel in which to mix wine with water, which in antiquity was called crater. I suppose that the purpose of mixing water with wine was not as much forgery of wine, but rather using the acidic properties of wine for disinfecting drinking water.

The crater was found in Greek Macedonian village of Derveni and is now exposed in Thessaloniki Museum of Archeology.

I was very pleased to find that the regulations of the museum permitted taking of flashless photos for non-profit purposes. A total ban on taking photos in a museum always arises suspicion of the genuineness of the artifacts, doesn't it? Greeks are wise people and they do not make that mistake for the profit of selling a few thousands more booklets - they obviously understand, that amateur photos like this, displayed through the internet, will gain them more tourists.

The photo was taken through a glass cage - the cir-polarizer helped a lot...