Citadel of Troy
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Owl Vases
Western Anatolia : Troy
Depas Amphikypellon
Period: Early Bronze III
Era: Troy II
AL Chronology: 2450—2200 BC (era)
Middle Chronology: 2687—2300 BC (period)
Civilization: Early Troy

Schliemann found a distinctive two-handled vessel in the lowest strata of Troy (Troy I-IV) which he termed “depas amphikypellon” (Greek “two-handled cup”) after the two-handled cups referred to in Homer’s epics.

“Then she gave Telemachus the fair two-handled cup (depas amphikypellon)”1Odyssey III.43

The depas seems to have originated in western Anatolia although examples have been found throughout the Aegean, Anatolia, and as far afield as the Balkans and Syria. As you may recall, these cups were found at Kastri on Syros also.

Top Right: Courtesy of the Neues Museum Top Left and Bottom: Courtesy of the British Museum
Depas Amphikypellon

“The fair two-handled cup,” these distinctive vessels have been found widely distributed throughout the Aegean, Anatolia, and north Syria during the Early Bronze period. The so-called “tankards” shown in the bottom row are closely related to the depas but are shorter, and date to a slightly later period.

 
[Review Quiz]

Schliemann, H. Troy and its Remains; A Narrative of Researches and Discoveries Made on the Site of Ilium, and in the Trojan Plain. London: J. Murray, 1875. Link

Last modified: August 27, 2025