ИСТИНА

(Paper delivered on the workshop "Reading images at the crossroads of cultures and disciplines. First-millennium BC Lycia as a case study for Near Eastern Studies") This presentation concerns the famous silver double-head vase, currently in the British Museum (No. 1962,1212.1). For three figures on the neck-frieze, an ancient owner helpfully provided Lycian labels – and it is these inscriptions that are most often studied. The iconography of the conjoined heads, and especially of the second, badly half preserved, still poses many questions. In my contribution, I would like to address the identifications put forward by previous scholars (D.E. Strong, R.D. Barnett), and, where possible, propose new ones. Another aspect is the overall structure: although this vessel is a rare and luxurious object, there are parallels for it in the broader Mediterranean world (such as Greek vase painting): the correlations between the “heads” and the additional friezes must be considered. Finally, the possible connotations of these versions can be checked against a Lycian cultural background.