B-84b. CP 9.13.1521. Braziers. Fragment of spreading wall with out-turning rim with internal angle and convex lip, thickening on the outside. Broken at join with foot-ring. H. 8.6 cm, W. 12.6 cm, Wth. 2.9 cm, Ø 50.0 cm. Standard fabric but with a high amount of the normal inclusions, reddish- brown to yellowish-red, 5YR 4/5, core dark reddish-brown, 5YR 2.75/2. Interior burnished (except friezes) red, 2.5YR 4/8. Exterior brown to reddish-yellow, 7.5YR 5.5/6. Decoration: On top surface of rim, a stamped frieze c. 2.9 cm wide. The relief is somewhat more shallow on upper half of frieze (i.e., towards interior). From left to right, the following figures are depicted: A; an animal, prob. a lion, head missing, moving towards the left with its tail sweeping up over its back. B; a man running to the right. C; a man on horseback moving right. D; the hind part of an animal (probably a lion), moving to the right with its tail between its legs. What might perhaps be a wing can be seen over the animal’s back, in which case it could be identified as a sphinx. Below rim, on interior, another frieze (c 2.2 cm wide), bordered on each side by shallow grooves, c 0.3 cm wide. The frieze preserves one scene intact, two lions attacking a third animal (hard to identify, but probably a cow or a bull). Lion A attacks from the left, jumping onto the back of the cow (B) and gripping it with its forepaw. The cow B faces right and lifts its head, while the second lion (C) faces left and bites into the throat of the cow. The head of lion C is depicted from above with both ears showing. At the right edge of the frieze, one hind leg and the tip of the tail of an animal (D), prob. a lion, can be discerned. Parallels: No exact parallels to the stamped friezes have been found. The hunting scene on the rim would belong to Serra Ridgway’s and Nardi’s third group, and the animal scenes to their fourth. Date: 550-500 BC
Descriptions are published in: Nielsen, I., and Poulsen, B., (eds.), 1992: The Temple of Castor and Pollux I, Roma. Bilde, P. G., and Poulsen, B., (eds.), 2008: The Temple of Castor and Pollux II.1* & II.1**, Roma. Slej, K., and Cullhed, M., (eds.), 2008: The Temple of Castor and Pollux II.2* & II.2**, Roma
