Hellenistic Gold Phiale in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, July 2007

Gold phiale (libation bowl)
Greek, 4th-3rd century BC
Inscribed on the base, sketchily in Greek, "Pausi[...]" and more deeply engraved in Punic (Carthaginian) characters, an indication of weight.

Accession #62.11.1

This libation bowl, decorated with bees, acorns, and beechnuts is worked in repoussee. Phialai decorated with acorns were being made by the late 6th century BC and must have been traditional. Acorns could also be seen on the phialai held by the Caryatids on the Erechtheum on the Akropolis in Athens, as we learn from Roman copies found in Hadrian's Villa at Tivoli.

Text from the Metropolitan Museum of Art label.