Antiquarium Arborense - Museo archeologico Giuseppe Pau Oristano

The Vitiello D'Urso collection

In 1994 a small collection of archaeological finds from Cyrenaica was donated to the Antiquarium Arborense.

The collection consists of 4 manufactures, three vases and a small clay statue. 

In the ovoid black painted amphora, the handles show two female heads with long shaped face and big nose, almond-eyed, bushy eyebrows and middle- parted hair. Their neck is decorated with engraved ivy clusters, white painted corymbs. 

The vase of Oristano is similar to the “plakettenvasen” amphorae. As a matter of fact, the workshops were located in Magna Graecia (expecially Apulia), but also in Crete and Alexandria. 

The bottom of the amphora bears an inscription with the owner's name, Parmeniskos, followed by a patronymic, Herostrato (Doric genitive), very common in Cyrenaica.

The black painted goblet is assignable to the Morel series 2731, represented by manufactures from Magna Graecia dating back to the 4th- beginning of the 3rd century BC. 

The black painted guttus has round walls, with a circular hole on the top. The spout is in the shape of a lion's head with open jaws. 

Probably the vase dates back to 300BC, maybe from a local workshop. 

The female statue's head is turned slightly to the left. Almond eyes, straight nose and slightly open mouth characterize her face. The ears are almost completely covered by middle- parted hair pulled back into a 'chignon' and, on the top, delimited by a 'stephane'. The long-limbed body leans on the left leg, while the right leg is bent. 
A thin dress lies on the body with deep vertical folds between the legs; the himation covers the left arm while the right forearm is uncovered and one hand holds the hem of the himation. For the presence of a pervious hole in the left hand, we presume that the statue held an object (maybe made of metal). The statue is part of the Greek coroplastic production (late classical or early Hellenistic period), expecially "tanagrine" terracotta.

The objects were probably grave goods which date back to the end of the 4th - beginning of the 3rd century BC.