A large late Hellenistic amethyst intaglio, of stunning deep purple colour, depicting a vessel.

Poets and artists frequently used a vessel as a symbol of the symposia; the vessel represented the blending and shifting of social, sexual, and cultural states as well as the breaking down of boundaries that the banquet permitted.

The Hellenistic period in classical antiquity refers to the period in Mediterranean history that followed Classical Greece, from the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC to the death of Cleopatra VII in 30 BC. The uprising of the Roman Empire at the Battle of Actium in 31 BC and the subsequent Roman conquest of Ptolemaic Egypt in 31 BC marked the end of the last significant Hellenistic kingdom.

During the Hellenistic period, Greek cultural influence reached its peak in the Mediterranean and beyond. Prosperity and progress in the arts, literature, theatre, architecture, music, mathematics, philosophy, and science characterize the era. The Hellenistic period saw the rise of New Comedy and Alexandrian poetry.

CONDITION: Signs of ware. The item has been described to the best of our knowledge. If you have any questions, please refer to the photographs and send an email.